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.

Alice: Madness Returns
Alice: Madness Returns
Brütal Legend
Brütal Legend
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal
Drakengard 3
Drakengard 3
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
God of War
God of War
God of War II
God of War II
Killer7
Killer7
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Deception
No More Heroes
No More Heroes
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3 FES
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
American McGee's Alice
American McGee's Alice
Bayonetta
Bayonetta
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
Doom
Doom
Jak 3
Jak 3
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Max Payne
Max Payne
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
NieR
NieR
Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden II
Ninja Gaiden II
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
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
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Darkwatch
Darkwatch
Drakengard
Drakengard
Evil West
Evil West
Jak II
Jak II
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Lollipop Chainsaw
Lollipop Chainsaw
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon Colosseum
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prototype
Prototype
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Soulstice
Soulstice
Wanted: Dead
Wanted: Dead
Wet
Wet
BloodRayne
BloodRayne
BloodRayne 2
BloodRayne 2
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
The Darkness
The Darkness
The Darkness II
The Darkness II
The Matrix: Path of Neo
The Matrix: Path of Neo
The Punisher
The Punisher
The Suffering
The Suffering
Black
Black
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Van Helsing
Van Helsing
Bullet Witch
Bullet Witch
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Dark Sector
Dark Sector
Dark Void
Dark Void
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
Constantine
Constantine
Damnation
Damnation
Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 2

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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