The most exciting action movies of the 2010s.
About nomination
In this nomination, action films are presented in which the study of the world or immersion in the plot plays no less, and sometimes a much more significant role than the battle itself. These games are considered to be popular, but they are the ones that set sales records and move the entire industry forward.
Tenth place – Far cry 3
Far cry – Perhaps one of the most controversial series in the entire industry and, moreover, the most unstable. Players were thrown either in the Stone Age or in the colorful post-apocalypse, and the genre ranged from a fantastic horror to a parody comedy. But it’s all chimeras, experiments, Ubisoft attempts to repeat the success of a really hit third part. Only there is a catch: Far cry 3perhaps squeezed the maximum out of its gameplay formula.
In fact, all that the “skirts” did was transfer their own Assassin’s creed on the rails of a first-person shooter. There is a map with enemy camps, and towers that open it, and a relatively casual, but generally pleasant stealth, and leveling, which makes you reflect on yourself just as much so that the choice does not become a burden. Oh yeah, do not forget about the unexpectedly developed (by the standards of Far Cry) script and Vaas Montenegro, who imitated the Joker so successfully that he himself became a rather popular villain. And in contrast with the highly controversial second part, it all worked just fine, returning Far Cry to the pantheon of blockbusters. Next, you just had to regularly refuel the car to make money, which is what Ubisoft is doing to this day.
More praise Infinite, the more critics she has. Say, Ken Levin deceived everyone, what a bastard. Gameplay in Bioshock from the first two parts it has not changed much, and rare innovations are either insignificant, such as riding a hook, or are aimed at rendering the gameplay. Take the same Elizabeth, who throws at the player with supplies or builds all sorts of useful things. And of all the superpowers, only two or three are truly useful.
Well, to challenge these theses is hard, and that is why Infinite did not get into our top shooters. But here is how an adventure action movie she is magnificent. The aerial city of Colombia is one of the most original and fascinatingly beautiful places in games. The aesthetics of the diesel punk and the “roaring twenties” here echoes hypertrophied American patriotism, which is perfectly justified by the plot.
And yes, this plot … Its charm is not in unexpected turns and not in the finale that someone can predict from afar, but in the variety of topics raised. Guilt and forgiveness, empathy and xenophobia, freedom of choice and adamant fate – all this intertwines in the history of private detective Devitt, who once accepted an order from a strange client. And all this is framed by a brilliant setting and sometimes quite original gameplay situations. Yes, you will curse the final defense of the airship with the last words, but everything that follows it will most likely yell into your soul.
IN Horizon it’s very difficult not to fall in love, although it provides a lot of opportunities to get out of your networks. It has an almost dead and empty world that does not make sense to explore, very mediocre side quests, and the characters, except for the red-haired Ela, lack charisma. But all this you, most likely, will realize after the fact, after you fill up several dozen robosaurs, and will solve all the secrets of the lost civilization.
Amazing how Guerilla games, which saw almost all of its existence purebred FPS Killzone, made something so far from the corridor shooters. Of course, Horizon also needs to be shot, but rarely and accurately. This seems to be the first game in which the bow is not a tribute to a strange trend (remember how they shoved them all over the place in the early 2010s), but the basis of key gameplay mechanics. You will spend many minutes sitting in the bushes and aiming for the right point on the body of the next iron image. The main thing is that the creature does not jerk – the necessary arrows end, and the details for crafting are not so easy to find. But if the robot breaks, then you can drive it into a pre-set trap.
Well, in addition to the excellently implemented and comprehensive combat system, there is a very original setting for the post-post-apocalypse, still great graphics and just a divine soundtrack that makes you goosebumps from the very first notes.
In our country, “Zelda” is not something they don’t like, but rather simply don’t know. And all because of the difficult and sad fate of Nintendo in Russia – it was not possible to gain a foothold in the market in the 90s due to various circumstances, and they generally scored the region for zero ones. As a result, the Russian audience of Nintendo consoles is incomparably small in comparison with the fan base of the same PlayStation. So what about the impact The legend of zelda on the genre of adventure games, many people know only from the videos on YouTube. But the full-scale launch of Switch in Russia and the noticeable excitement around its start-up project finally allowed our players to evaluate for themselves what Link is and why everyone in the West writes in boiling water.
And it turned out that Breath of the wild delightful. This is a game that believes in the quick wit and independence of its user, and therefore from the very beginning gives him the whole world. And what a world! The Legend of Zelda interferes with game conventions and real laws of physics in sometimes quite unexpected proportions, thereby reviving an almost forgotten sense of discovery. Wow, lightning strikes an iron sword! And what will happen if during a thunderstorm to throw him under the feet of an enemy? To solve the riddle, you need to set fire to that thing with a red-hot ball. And what happens if you just shoot a fire arrow at her? And such mechanics in Breath of the Wild in bulk. But there are also dungeons with riddles, battles with hefty bosses, a million and one collectible item, cooking, etc. etc. In general, that same capital breath of freedom.
Sixth a place – god of war
When someone says that developers from large studios are afraid to take risks, somewhere Corey Barlog is indignantly crying. To the success of the new God of war he set everything – his career, reputation and even his personal life, because the period of active development coincided with the first years of his fatherhood, as a result of which the game designer was constantly torn between the house and office. Transforming a non-stop trash action almost into drama, and besides, with a new camera and a redesigned combat system, it could easily frighten away the fan base. However, the bet played – God of War in 2018 became the most successful franchise game, overtaking even the hit third part.
Creation Sony Santa Monica a year ago, everyone who was not lazy was captured, and therefore we will simply go through the key advantages. Firstly, Scandinavian mythology has been presented so widely in few places. Forget Thor and Odin – God of War goes deeper. Secondly, Kratos himself has changed beyond recognition, having turned from a walking meat grinder into a living person. Thirdly, the story of the eternal conflict of fathers and children catches, despite all its triviality. Fourthly, the production, as always in the series, is on top. And fifthly, the battle falls in love with the first ax throw. As a slasher, God of War is marvelous at how nice and enjoyable on an almost tactile level. And together all these components add up to one of the most sensational and deservedly successful games of recent years.
Where in the best action games of the decade without “souls”? It was in the 2010s that the studio’s hardcore projects Fromsoftware bloomed, won the love of the general public and forced gamers to smash so many keyboards that would be enough for a small dump.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Last at the moment game Hidetaki Miyazaki. The signature style of the master and his team is recognized in it without difficulty, but there are also enough pleasant innovations. A gloomy world full of monsters and grueling boss battles familiar from Dark souls and Bloodbornestayed in place; but the European fantasy setting was replaced by undefended Asian folklore. Japan of the late 16th century was painted on the screen with succulent bloody tones of clan feuds, and the laconic one-armed ninja, faithful to the master to the last breath, suits the role of the protagonist very well. Frontal battles with enemies were diluted with stealth, which not only diversified the gameplay, but also greatly facilitated the hero’s path from one monster to another.
The battles themselves will bring true delight to edged lovers. Katana in the hands of Sekiro really do you feel: the weight of the blade, inertia, the time of the swing, block and counterattack – everything is thought out and transferred as realistically as if your own fingers squeeze the sword. And for dessert, there is a plot that finally does not need to be carefully searched for, four variants of the ending and an unobtrusive, but curious philosophy. Sixty to seventy pleasant hours are provided … at least for those who are not looking for easy ways.
Dangerous jungle, snow-capped mountains and endless deserts – trilogy Uncharted gave the players dozens of unforgettable hours. However, Amy Hannig was never able to put an end to the story of Nathan Drake. Instead, Neil Drackmann and Bruce Streley did it. Moreover, they not only dismissed the hero in the best possible way, but also created a real personal drama, adding the stories and characters of the heroes of the necessary depth.
Of course, breathtaking landscapes and spectacular chases have not gone away. On the contrary, Drake found himself in the balance of death so many times that sometimes it seemed as if luck was about to leave him. And how many small details in this game: starting from bags of grain, lazily falling to one side, if you make a hole in them, and ending with Madagascar mud sticking to clothes.
Uncharted 4 is a feast for the eyes, but the last part of the series stands out from other projects of the last decade not only with graphics, but also with a skillfully told story. Drackmann and Streyli raised the simple and understandable themes of family and trust, as well as passion that could destroy it all, and created from them the finale worthy of the legendary treasure hunter.
It seems only Rockstar (and Kojima) can afford to spend seven years and tens of millions of dollars on the game “not for everyone.” Red dead redemption 2 – this is to some extent a game analogue of the film “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” Quentina Tarantino. A very unhurried, almost plotless and highly American work that requires you to be attentive, involved, and some kind of preparation, even moral. In RDR 2 you can’t just drive 40 minutes after work. No, if you please, postpone all affairs and completely immerse yourself in the misfortunes of Arthur Morgan. Such exactingness quite naturally scares off someone, and they quit the game shortly after the prologue, realizing that this is not at all “GTA about cowboys”.
But those who nevertheless tune in at the right pace and will deliberately enjoy the process will be generously rewarded. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the most elaborate world, probably in the entire history of the gaming industry. The developers have invested an incredible amount of resources in the most seemingly insignificant details, such as how the light passes through the earlobes of the heroes, but together they add up to a reliable illusion.
On the screen is the real Wild West, America of the late nineteenth century in miniature. In cities and forests, life is boiling, which sometimes does not care what the player does there. And he can do anything – even track down the legendary bear, even catch a fugitive criminal, even rescue a stranger from trouble. And how many secrets are scattered in RDR 2 – do not count. There is a vampire that terrorizes the southern town, and a runaway robot, and as many as two UFOs – almost every bush will find something unique, there would be a desire to find.
Naughty dog – one of two studios that occupies two positions in the top at once. And also one of the two studios that managed to issue a game on the previous generation of consoles, which will remain one of the main hits of the outgoing generation. The last of us – this is perhaps the main brainchild of the Drackmann team, their magnum opus. A project in which narrative and gameplay are inextricably linked is the very ideal hybrid of a game and a movie that many developers dream of, but only a few can create. And all that Uncharted authors had to do was change their tonality, add crafting, strengthen stealth, pour a drop of horror and plump a whole can of drama. And right away, from the first minutes, so that the user is already opening the credits, he looks with a lump in his throat. To know which roller coaster awaits him.
But The Last of Us is not only good for the story and the characters – the gameplay in it is at the highest level of performance familiar to Naughty Dog. Stealth is variable and by no means as casual as in most mainstream fighters, and such a fierce, brutal, almost tactile handcuff can not be found anywhere else. The developers have lifted the bar for themselves so high that we are waiting for the sequel with anticipation and apprehension. However, Naughty Dog has more than once exceeded all expectations.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Rockstar practically created an action genre in the open world and has been holding leadership in it for almost two decades, easily devoting any imitators (the language will not turn out to name someone a competitor). AND GTA V – the best confirmation of this. The game, which was released almost seven years ago and still remains one of the most popular on any platform. A game that set several sales records in the first few days after the release. A game that changed everything without essentially changing anything.
After all, GTA V is, to some extent, the reincarnation of San Andreas, only with pleasant shooting, comfortable driving and for some time a prescribed plot that there is no desire to ignore. And you don’t need more, because the basic formula worked flawlessly in 2004 and works great now. Simply decorate it with details.
GTA V is a gigantic monolith whose significance cannot be denied whether you like it or not.
And what actions would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!
