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.

Max Payne
Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
NieR
NieR
Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden Black
Ninja Gaiden II
Ninja Gaiden II
No More Heroes
No More Heroes
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark Zero
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3 FES
Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Postal 2
Postal 2
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype 2
Prototype 2
The Punisher
The Punisher
Ratchet: Deadlocked
Ratchet: Deadlocked
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6
Resistance 2
Resistance 2
Ride to Hell: Retribution
Ride to Hell: Retribution
Rogue Warrior
Rogue Warrior
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadows of the Damned
Shadows of the Damned
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
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
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed
Soulstice
Soulstice
Spawn: Armageddon
Spawn: Armageddon
Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
The Suffering
The Suffering
Thief
Thief
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Twisted Metal: Black
Twisted Metal: Black
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Van Helsing
Van Helsing
Vexx
Vexx
Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs
Wanted: Dead
Wanted: Dead
Wet
Wet
The World Ends with You
The World Ends with You

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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