2000s/2010s Edge-core

I grew up in the 2000s and was a teenager during the era when games where at the peak of edginess so I will always have nostalgia for games that invoke these feelings and unfortunately they don't come out much anymore. Re-playing The Darkness recently reminded me how I miss the era of 2000s edge so much so I decided to make a list including any game that falls under the classifications for what I call '2000s edge-core', this doesn't necessarily mean the game is good (Though a lot of games here are legitimately great), but more that it manages to captures the aesthetics and vibe of the edginess of the 2000s through the early 2010s. Listed alphabetically.

P.S. I did add a few games that came out in recent years simply because they capture the vibes and aesthetics and deserve to be mentioned.

Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark
American McGee's Alice
American McGee's Alice
Alice: Madness Returns
Alice: Madness Returns
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City
Bayonetta
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta 2
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando
Black
Black
BloodRayne
BloodRayne
BloodRayne 2
BloodRayne 2
Bomberman: Act Zero
Bomberman: Act Zero
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend
Bullet Witch
Bullet Witch
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania Judgment
Castlevania Judgment
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Constantine
Constantine
Daikatana
Daikatana
Damnation
Damnation
Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno
The Darkness
The Darkness
The Darkness II
The Darkness II
Darkwatch
Darkwatch
Dark Sector
Dark Sector
Darksiders
Darksiders
Darksiders II
Darksiders II
Dark Void
Dark Void
Dead to Rights
Dead to Rights
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4
DmC: Devil May Cry
DmC: Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5
Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis
Dishonored
Dishonored
Doom 3
Doom 3
Doom
Doom
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal
Drakengard
Drakengard
Drakengard 3
Drakengard 3
Enter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Evil West
Evil West
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Gears of War 3
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider
God Hand
God Hand
God of War
God of War
God of War II
God of War II
God of War III
God of War III
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Hatred
Hatred
Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword
Hellboy: The Science of Evil
Hellboy: The Science of Evil
Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Infamous
Infamous
Infamous 2
Infamous 2
Jak II
Jak II
Jak 3
Jak 3
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Killer7
Killer7
Killer Is Dead
Killer Is Dead
Killing Floor
Killing Floor
Killing Floor 2
Killing Floor 2
Killzone
Killzone
Killzone 2
Killzone 2
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Legendary
Legendary
Lollipop Chainsaw
Lollipop Chainsaw
Manhunt
Manhunt
Manhunt 2
Manhunt 2
The Matrix: Path of Neo
The Matrix: Path of Neo

2 Comments


1 year ago

Fantastic compilation, thank you!
A couple of suggestions:
- Pokémon Colosseum (much edgier than XD)
- Ratchet: Deadlocked
- Splinter Cell: Double Agent & Conviction
Also, Woodaba makes a great case for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent in this video, which is also the reason why I found this list (in fact, the video mentions most of "my" suggestions).
@Undercover, thanks for the suggestions! I haven't played Ratchet or Rogue Agent, but they def qualify and I actually have played Colosseum and the Splinter Cell games and thought I already had them added, but must have forgotten. It's hard to keep track of 150+ edgy games lmao


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