In 2024, some real classic games will celebrate their 20th anniversary. Reason enough to take a look back and be amazed: Was it that long ago?
We all get older every year, and so do the games we love. In 2024, some of the greatest classics in gaming history will be around 20 years old. We want to take a look back, feel old and capture what has become of the releases back then.
Ready for a nostalgic trip? Let’s go.
Half Life 2
Release: November 16, 2004 | Developer: Valve | Platforms: PC (Steam), Linux, macOS, Xbox, Xbox 360/One/SeriesX/S, Playstation 3, Android
Our first stop on our journey down memory lane is one of the best and most important shooters our hobby has ever produced. The successor to the already revolutionary first part from Valve continues its events. Once again we slip into the role of the mute Gordon Freeman and fight from the city of City 17 against Combine soldiers, headcrabs, zombies and much more. The different weapons including the innovative physics engine are great fun (keyword: gravity gun).
The story is told entirely from the protagonist’s point of view without cutscenes. After the game was released, Episode One and Episode Two followed, which continued the story. Players are still waiting for Episode Three, or an official third part of the series. Fans will have to make do with the VR offshoot “Alyx”. Nonetheless, Half Life 2 influenced many other shooters and still plays well today.
GTA San Andreas
Release: October 29, 2004 | Developer: Rockstar North | Platforms: Windows, Xbox, Xbox360/One/SeriesX/S, PS2/3/4/5, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire OS, Windows Phone
GTA San Andreas – Trailer
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“Oh shit, here we go again.” – The famous words of the protagonist CJ, who gets on his bike and rides off, have long since become an Internet meme. With him as a character, Rockstar is releasing us into the biggest GTA adventure to date. The story is based on films like “Boyz N the Hood” or “Training Day”, so it is told from an African-American perspective, which is still a rarity in gaming today.
In addition to the extensive surrounding area of the city, the innovations within the series also include role-playing elements with which we can, for example, send CJ to the gym. Then the kilos fall off, which we also see directly in the game.
GTA San Andreas was released just two years after its predecessor Vice City. For comparison: As things stand, at least 12 years will pass between GTA 5 and its successor. With its huge game world, San Andreas laid the foundation for the modern GTA worlds and has long since become part of pop culture.
Halo 2
Release: November 11, 2004 | Developer: Bungie Studios | Platforms: Xbox, Xbox 360/One/SeriesX/S
Halo 2 Anniversary Cinematic Launch Trailer
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The second offshoot of the long-standing Halo series was initially only released for the in-house Xbox console. A PC port for Windows Vista followed in 2007 – although the game actually also ran on the XP version.
Compared to the influential first part, Halo 2 boasts far fewer innovations. That’s hardly surprising. After all, Halo: Combat Evolved introduced modern shooter controls for the gamepad. Nevertheless, Halo 2 can boast some improvements in terms of storytelling, world building and variety. The game’s campaign takes players to many different locations and is also set on Earth for the first time.
Halo 2 famously spawned four more games in the main series. Also several spin-offs such as the Halo Wars series, a TV show and a variety of books.
World of Warcraft
Release: November 23, 2004 | Developer: Blizzard Entertainment | Platforms: Windows, macOS
World of Warcraft Cinematic Trailer
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One thing WoW has certainly achieved in its 20 years of existence: almost every gamer has heard of it, even if they haven’t played it themselves.
The MMORPG that was born out of the Warcraft brand was not the first game of its kind, but it was arguably the best known, most talked about and most popular.
WoW finally brought the MMORPG into the mainstream – and into the media, where it repeatedly had to serve as a whipping child in the debate surrounding computer gaming addiction. The playful qualities were mostly ignored.
To date, nine expansions have been released. Just in time for the game’s anniversary, the tenth game called The War Within is scheduled to go online in 2024. And WoW Classic, the vanilla version of the game, is also very popular. There are also countless books, board games, comics, and a Warcraft film. And although there have been many attempts to dethrone WoW over the years, no game has really succeeded.