2003 has gone by and next to a shitload of crappy games we did manage to get a bunch of good (and great games).
We here at Fragland have been discussing for weeks now to define the 10 best games to have appeared on the PC platform over the last year and here's the compromise the crew settled for :

10. EVE Online: The Second Genesis - CCP Games
CCP Games managed to create a great Massive Multiplayer Online space sim with splendid graphics and addictive gameplay that can compete with the best single player space games.
You can check out our full review here

9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Rockstar
Rockstar has upset many people (including the Haïtians) with this title but it has sold A LOT and is still selling like hot dogs on a cold afternoon near a sports stadium.
It's graphics, models and great soundtrack create an athmospheric game that managed to keep many gamers playing it for hours eventhough there is no multiplayer present.
You can check out our review here

8. PlanetSide - Ubi Soft
Ubi Soft released the first Massive Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter this year and the game is just fantastic according to our reviewer Ruyken. To put it in his words: "PlanetSide kicks ass! I couldn't say more after my first 12 hours in this game and I still can't say much more than that."
Our full review can be read here

7. Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - Activision
Originally this was supposed to become a retail game but unexpectedly the launch as retail was cancelled. Luckily for all of us, the developers decided to release the game for free so we ended up with a full game that could be played online in multiplayer and the community jumped on it like a rabbit on a carrot.

6. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Ubi Soft
You can argue that the Tom Clancy games are far from original, but this year Splinter Cell did manage to occupy the sales charts for a very long time and its combination of tactical gameplay with great graphics made it earn this spot.
We don't have a pc review, but you can read our review of the PS2 version here

5. Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne - Blizzard
The only expansion pack in this Top10 so it can't be anything else than Blizzard's Warcraft 3 expansion, The Frozen Throne.
Right before all hell broke loose at Blizzard, the company released this magnificent expansion pack that brought many Warcraft lover to go to their favorite games store.

4. Rise of Nations - Microsoft
A couple of good strategy games were released this year, but none of them even came close to Microsoft's Rise of Nations in my opinion and its score of 94,2% in our review just shows how good this game is.
Its roots are clearly laying in the original Civilization games but the combination of turn-based with real-time strategy only add to the overall gaming experience. Add to that a great multiplayer environment and you definitely have a winner !

3. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - Rockstar
Not so unexpectedly, we see Max Payne 2 appearing in the Top10 of best games of the year. In fact, it even manages to get a spot with the three best titles of the year. However, the fact that it again is too short holds it back from getting higher.
The graphics and gameplay are again very good and we still dig the bullet time feature. However, for Max Payne to get higher, we would have loved a bit longer gameplay and some new gameplay elements, especially since there's no multiplayer present.

2. Call of Duty - Activision
If it had been completely up to me, this title would have been a clear number one !
Our review gave it 93,6% and this wasn't without reason. Its single player was the first since Medal of Honor: Allied Assault that brought such immersive gaming and the level where you had to play a Russian about to invade Stalingrad whepped us off our feet ! This was the first time a game managed to top the Landing in Normandy of MoH:AA.
Add to that one of the most addictive single player experiences in years and you'll know why this game is my personal number one.
The only reason why this game didn't make it to number one for the entire crew is simple: the critics on MoH:AA were that the game was too short and Call of Duty lacks of the same problem.

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - LucasArts
It's been a long time since a game based on a movie license managed to get any prices, but this year LucasArts manages to get it. Knights of the Old Republic is the absolute number one game of 2003 for the Fragland crew.
Its Star Wars setting and attention to detail combined with a great single player experience make it top of the line when it comes to role-playing games and lift it to the number one spot in our game of the year awards eventhough it doesn't contain a multiplayer part.
To say it in the words of one of our reviewers, Valdo: "KoToR has something special, it's unique in its genre...".

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