Net Ten: Top Ten Addictive Games of All Time (page2) Subscribe to this RSS feed

#5 The Sims 2 - [ PC ]

Not content with having only one life to live? Pick up The Sims 2 and take control of the private and professional fates of a bunch of nutty 3D personalities forced into close quarters. This quirky life simulator takes all the things that are tedious about day-to-day existence--meal preparation, cleaning, career direction, and even hygiene--and makes them enjoyable by providing instant gratification in the form of hilarious animations and skill upgrades. You can even manipulate friendships into loving marriages, or rivalries into full-on feuds, as your Sims make their way through their ever-changing lives. Who knew playing God could be so compelling?

#5 The Sims 2
92% average
critic
score

#4 Lumines II - [ PSP ]

Lumines' endless stream of falling colored blocks, each divided into four pieces and painted with combinations of two colors, is the latest darling of the portable puzzle scene. Create blocks of a single color, and a sweeping bar removes them from play, rewarding you with points and space. Lumines proved that a deceptively simple goal, made difficult by timing and musical distraction, can quickly become a fixation. Lumines II added background videos, new battle modes, and more challenging "mission" boards, making it damn near impossible to put down whether you're relaxing at home or passing time on the road.

#4 Lumines II
83% average
critic
score

#3 Guitar Hero II - [ PS2 ]

Don't even try to deny it: you know you've played air guitar while listening to a favorite rocker, even if you didn't dare do it in public. Hand even the most mild-mannered hard rock fan Guitar Hero II's custom axe controller and watch the arena rock god emerge in the time it takes for the first level to load. Nobody's going to confuse talent with timed button presses for true musical acumen, but soaking up the virtual crowd's reaction to your simulated histrionics is so inexplicably satisfying that you won't ever want to leave the stage.

#3 Guitar Hero II
91% average
critic
score

#2 Civilization IV - [ PC ]

The Civilization series has garnered such a well-deserved reputation for creating addiction that one has to wonder why the government hasn't yet classified it as an actual narcotic. As you guide your burgeoning society from homeless nomads to global superpower you'll choose between styles of government and city improvements, cultural domination and military might, technological advancement and trading flexibility. You can even reach for the stars with your very own space program. This is what an absolute ruler would feel like if he lived for thousands of years, and the effect is more intoxicating and addictive than any liquor.

#2 Civilization IV
94% average
critic
score

#1 World of Warcraft - [ PC ]

World of Warcraft has become synonymous with persistent online role-playing, with more than 8.5 million players worldwide. Nine classes, eight races, stunning art direction, and a huge world of wartorn cultures and hidden lore beckon all RPG fans to start anew in the world of Azeroth. To say that World of Warcraft offers hundreds of hours of obsessive gameplay could be a gross understatement, between the unique trials of each class and the endless challenges of Battlegrounds warfare. As if that weren't enough, the new Burning Crusade expansion adds two new races, raises the level cap, and opens the way to the strange world of Outland. Anyone who's played World of Warcraft and wrenched themselves away long enough to chat will tell you: it's not just a game, it's a way of life.

#1 World of Warcraft
93% average
critic
score