Net Ten: Top Ten Addictive Games of All Time (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

One more game. One more turn. One more play. One more minute. One more day. If you're a gamer, you know the sublime feeling of gamelock. In many ways, it's why we play games in the first place, right? With this in mind, here's a list of the 10 most addictive games of the last 10 years.

#10 Half-Life 2 - [ PC ]

Half-Life 2 is a science-fiction tour de force that easily surpasses the legacy of the first game, thanks to reserved but effective storytelling, formidable enemy smarts, and a wide variety of convincing environments. Still, as good as the game content is, it's the remarkable and endlessly flexible physics system that keeps Half-Life 2 on the nation's hard drives. Countless downloadable modifications have turned this ambitious first-person shooter into a virtual playground. Whether you're building elaborate Rube Goldberg-style machines, crafting enormous structures with game objects, or designing your own dune buggy stunt track, boredom is nowhere to be seen.

#10 Half-Life 2
96% average
critic
score

#9 Neverwinter Nights - [ PC ]

There's a reason people are still playing Neverwinter Nights five years after its initial release, and though the main story campaign and retail expansion packs offer plenty of opportunity to develop fledgling characters into fearsome juggernauts of might or magic, it's the thriving community of user-created content that makes BioWare's baby one of the most addictive role-playing games of all time. There's always new equipment to win, new challenges to overcome, and a new character class to experience, and the innumerable highly-rated free and downloadable adventures give all players a nearly bottomless well of excitement to draw from.

#9 Neverwinter Nights
86% average
critic
score

#8 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - [ PS2 ]

Taking territory from rival gangs in Los Santos, polishing off bizarre odd jobs in San Fierro, and hitting the gaming tables of Las Venturas already gives you enough to fill any vacation calendar, but it doesn't even scratch San Andreas' surface. Even after you've played through every mission and seen the story to its end, there's still a ton to do. How many cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, helicopters, and tanks have you commandeered? What about the weapons, races, graffiti tagging spots, and mini-game diversions? It's hard to imagine ever experiencing everything there is to see in San Andreas.

#8 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
96% average
critic
score

#7 Virtua Tennis 3 - [ PS3 ]

Sports games tend to ensnare only devoted fans of a given discipline, but Virtua Tennis 3 will hook anyone lucky enough to pick up a controller. It could be the deceptively simple concept of smacking a ball back and forth, or the giddy sense of power released when pounding a perfect serve past an opponent. Or is it the confidence boost that comes from outwitting the competition with cunning shot placement and ball spin that makes Virtua Tennis 3 so addictive? And who could forget the insane minigames that enhance the arcade experience? Whatever the case, Sega's slam-fest could hook even those who wouldn't give TV tennis a second look.

#7 Virtua Tennis 3
78% average
critic
score

#6 Diablo 2 - [ PC ]

The number one best-selling RPG of all time adheres to the classic design of hack-and-slash dungeon crawling defined by Rogue, but simple click-fest controls, five customizable character classes, and free online play combined to create a perfect storm of action combat, skill development, and socialization that addicted millions overnight. Pounding powerful enemies into dust, collecting ever more powerful gear, and unlocking new powers and attacks for your chosen profession can easily become an almost endless cycle of compulsion, even if you don't try your hand at one of the other character classes, or purchase the Lord of Destruction expansion.

#6 Diablo 2
89% average
critic
score