5 Major Game Anniversaries in May 2018 to Make You Feel Old

Rise of Nations – 15th Anniversary

Every Major Video Game Anniversary in May 2018

An anniversary that all old-school PC gamers will appreciate – Rise of Nations was born in the golden era of the real-time-strategy (RTS) genre, which has long since been displaced by modern MOBA titles. Back in the early 2000s, however, the popularity of the Age of Empires series sparked developers to create different spins on that same gameplay loop. A slew of similar games tasked players with managing economic and military resources to rise from primitive to modern nations, passing through different “ages” as they sought to crush rival forces.

What gave Rise of Nations a point of difference was its emphasis on territory and national borders. Buildings could only be built within the borders of a given nation, and invading armies left unsupplied within those borders would wither and capitulate until those areas of the map had been successfully captured. It was also praised for its immense unit selection and exciting range of different “ages,” that saw players start with primitive Hoplite troops and finish matches with stealth bombers and nuclear weapons.

Rise of Nations remains launched to critical acclaim, earning several Game of the Year and RTS of the year awards back in May 2003.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC) – 15th Anniversary

Every Major Video Game Anniversary in May 2018

Vice City is Grand Theft Auto’s only venture into a historical setting, and the flamboyance of ’80s Miami suited the franchise so much I think it’s fair to say we’re all hoping Rockstar Games returns us there sometime in the future! There was something so utterly cool about the Hawaiian shirt-wearing Tommy Vercetti, and the ambiance of Vice City felt like a glorious crossover between Miami Vice and Scarface that worked brilliantly.

While Vice City originally launched in the fall of 2002, it didn’t make its way over to PC until May 2003. As had been the case for Grand Theft Auto III before it, the PC version of Vice City featured enhanced visuals and a smoother frame rate. Although most importantly, the modding community really got stuck into Vice City, and a host of vehicle skin packs and various mods turned Vice City into an even more capable and content-filled package. It was a sign of things to come in subsequent GTA titles, which have since become a platform for some incredibly accomplished modders.

Mass Effect (PC) – 10th Anniversary

Every Major Video Game Anniversary in May 2018

The original Mass Effect is a competent action role-playing game with a hugely impressive scale and what was, at the time, a very pretty aesthetic. Yet the series has become best known for its complex branching narrative and colorful cast of characters. Indeed, the extent to which the player could shape their experience within the context of Mass Effect’s sprawling story earned it critical acclaim back in 2008. There simply hadn’t been anything quite that layered and open-ended before, and it would go on to kickstart one of the most adored trilogies in gaming.

The first entry in the trilogy was far more of a traditional role-playing experience than its sequels, which placed an ever-greater emphasis on third-person shooting. Looking back, some fans adore Mass Effect’s comparatively more systems-heavy, tactical gameplay, while others believe the series didn’t truly come alive until its gameplay was streamlined in Mass Effect 2.

Regardless of where you stand, it’s hard to believe that this space epic of a series is now 10 years old! It’s also a shame that, after the mediocre reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda last year, we’ve no idea what the future holds for this beloved franchise. Here’s hoping it returns to greatness sometime soon.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon – 5th Anniversary

Every Major Video Game Anniversary in May 2018

Soon after the Far Cry series had very obviously found its niche with the eccentric-action of its critically-acclaimed third entry, Ubisoft dialed up the madness even more with a standalone spin-off, Blood Dragon. Gone were the exotic island locations and tamable wildlife, replaced by Michael Bay-style retro action set amid neon-soaked futuristic buildings. It was all a bit out of left field and slightly ridiculous, but it just worked. Blood Dragon was an absolute blast to play – a blend of highly entertaining action sequences and hilarious nods of the hat to cheesy sci-fi films gone by.

It’s been five years since Ubisoft graced gamers with Blood Dragon, which is astounding not just because it seems like only the other day we were slaying cyber soldiers and droids with laser rifles, but also because in that time, Ubisoft has pumped out no less than three open-world Far Cry games. It truly has become one of Ubisoft’s tentpole franchises, and while the first two games were superb in their own right, Far Cry really does owe its success to the third game and its standalone DLC, in which the blueprint of nutty and whimsical gameplay was well and truly established.

Metro Last Light – 5th Anniversary

Every Major Video Game Anniversary in May 2018

In the same time that Ubisoft has churned out three Far Cry games, 4A Games hasn’t released a jot, instead busily working on its sequel to Metro: Last Light. That’s right, when Metro: Exodus releases later this year it will have been five years since we last braved post-apocalyptic Moscow’s underground metro system as Artyom.

First released back in May 2013, Last Light continued the story a year on from where 2033 left off, with Artyom’s missile strike against the Dark Ones obliterating the holocausts’ greatest threat. It continued the excellent storytelling of the first game, with plenty of meaningful character interactions and scores of ambient dialogue helping to convey a creepy but compelling atmosphere to the bleak tunnels of its underground levels. Last Light is a narrative-driven FPS experience perhaps only rivaled by Wolfenstein in modern gaming, whereby excellent shooting mechanics are matched by a gripping plot.

If the E3 trailer for Exodus piqued your interest but you never got around to the first games, the Redux (remastered) version are available for current generation and absolutely worth playing.