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The Worst (and Best) of the Past Decade
6 years ago
General
In December 2009, I was looking forwards to the future, thinking that the 2010s *had* to be better than the 2000s. Boy, was I wrong.
Everyone loves lists, so here are the WORST things of the past ten years, followed by some of the rare non-bad things. I guarantee at least a few of these will be controversial, so buckle up.
(BTW, these are things that have *personally* affected me, otherwise the list would be made up of wars and natural disasters and the like. This list is more about entertainment and people's interests in general.) So here it is:
**** The Top Ten Worst Things Of The 2010s ****
10) How To Train Your Dragon
OK, I might as well start the controversy right away. The movie isn't terrible, but it's certainly overrated. The story is cliche and the dragon designs are awful. One of the biggest things that annoys me as a True Dragon Fan™ is how something mediocre will succeed if dragons are somehow involved. I'm never going to get a good dragon movie/game/TV show if people keep supporting the crap.
Also, this happened right at the beginning of the decade, which gave me a bad omen as to how the rest of it would turn out. I was right.
9) Pony Drama
I know everyone wants to forget this stuff happened, but I think it serves as a good life lesson- if you see a group of people acting stupid about something trivial, don't react by acting WORSE than they are. All it does is add fuel to the fire, which was exactly what happened.
8) Celebrity Deaths
Usually I don't concern myself with celebrities, but even I was taken aback by the sheer number that passed this decade. Rik Mayall and Bob Einstein (aka Super Dave)'s deaths really affected me because of how big a part of my childhood they were.
7) 2010s Music
Pretty self-explanatory. My eye twitches every time I enter a building with the radio on, knowing that Despacito could invade my brain at any time.
6) Disney Ruins Everything
Again, pretty self-explanatory. From buying every media company to pointless live-action remakes to ruining Star Wars (I mean, more than it already has been), who knows where it will end up?
5) Remakes, Reboots and Rehashes
Don't get me wrong- there are some things I'm glad to see return (Red Dwarf, the Invader Zim movie, etc.), but do we need to bring back EVERYTHING? Some things died out for very good reasons (ie Bubsy). This whole thing just reeks of laziness, and the fact that this never gets called out really shows modern audiences in a bad light.
4) Extreme Politics
Politics is something that really interests me, but given the current climate, I'm afraid to say ANYTHING even vaguely in the political realm. In fact, I think I'll just move on to the next item.
3) Indie Game Craze
The theme of the past decade was definitely "bandwagon". And indie games are the perfect example of this. I get why people would be drawn to them, given how bad AAA games have been lately, but are they REALLY that good to justify their popularity? I'd say no.
Think of it his way: If FNAF were originally made by Sony, would it be as popular? Personally, I don't think so. Half of these games just recycle existing games, while the others use weird art styles to distract from mediocre gameplay. I'm probably being too cynical about it, but regardless I haven't enjoyed having them shoved in my face every day.
2) Wii U Era
Nintendo has had bad times before, but nothing compared to this. In five short years their main console tanked, the Amiibo/Classic Mini shortage was a PR disaster, Paper Mario was ruined, they issued endless copyright strikes, and had arguably the worst E3 presentation in history. And throughout all this they acted like the fans were the ones with the attitude problem.
And yet somehow, their next console was one of their biggest successes. Am I the only one who finds this comeback completely undeserved? This is just one of the many things I don't understand about modern gamers.
To me, the Wii U era was one of the biggest middle fingers ever and I doubt I'll support them again. But on the bright side, it makes their classic era look even better by comparison.
And with that, finally - in my opinion - the Official Worst Thing Of The Decade IS...
1) Game of Thrones
All I can say is: F*** this show.
F*** this overrated, overexposed, overpopular, over-everything lowest-common-denominator piece of yak excrement.
With everything else on this list, I can at least see some of the good in them. But I don't see GoT as anything else than mass-market garbage.
At least the final season was considered by many to be awful, so at least I can get a bit of schadenfreude from that.
So, enough negativity. As much as I didn't think it was possible, here are the things I actually liked about the past decade:
**** The Top Ten Best Things of the 2010s ****
10) P.A.D.G.
I realize that putting something *I* made on this list is a bit cheeky, but I had a hard time thinking of ten things to put on this list, so here you go.
I've always wanted to make a comic, but I lacked the idea and artistic talent. Now that I've (mostly) got those things, it's been a lot of fun bringing it to life.
9) Ten Years on FA
I joined this site in 2010 and I've encountered awesome artwork and equally awesome people. I know this site and the fandom in general gets a lot of flack but overall it's been a great experience. Thanks guys!
8) Luigi's Mansion 2
This is my favorite game made by a major gaming company in a long time. As soon as I finished it I started a new playthrough immediately- something I NEVER do. "Charming" is a word I hear a lot when people discuss the game and I think sums it up pretty well. The atmosphere and music really bring the different mansions to life.
I don't plan on getting a Switch so I may not play LM3, but I hear good things so you never know.
7) Pilk
6) Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast
As Old Hollywood gets more and more forgotten, this podcast gives the people who were there a chance to tell their stories. There have been a wide selection of guests from Dick Van Dyke and Adam West to Chevy Chase and Steven Wright, covering every genre and every age.
5) Pokemon Black & White
Pokemon first got big around when I started losing interest in video games, so I never played it. Eventually in 2009 or so I started coming around and picked up Platinum for the heck of it. I thought it was pretty good. So when Black/White hype started building in 2010/11 I really started getting into it.
Some of my favorite designs come from Gen 5, so it's a shame that a lot of people focus on the bad ones (ie "the gears" and "the ice cream"). I love the Unova area (and the different seasons) and I think it had the best story and great characters. The sequel wasn't as good, but I was happy to have a continuation of the story.
X&Y seemed like a rehash of Diamond/Pearl's story (A brooding bad guy wanting to create an ideal world using a Legendary), and Sun/Moon seemed like a mess with a LOT of bad designs. I probably won't play Sword/Shield. But, at least I had fun with the franchise while it lasted.
4) Norm MacDonald Live
It's hard to find online since Netflix took over the rights, but if you like comedians shooting the breeze for an hour and politically incorrect humor, I really recommend it.
Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2XawdY22Ek
3) MLP:FIM
I'm putting this here mainly to troll the haters, but it really was a breath of fresh air from the crap the animation industry has been churning out since the late 90s. With a well-rounded cast, vibrant visuals and fun stories, it's not surprising it took off.
2) Taskmaster
When I first heard the concept - five comedians competing in random tasks - it didn't really sound very entertaining, but I was happy to be proved wrong. It can be hit-or-miss at times, but when you have five different people doing something strange with plenty of room for lateral thinking, you're almost guaranteed to get comedy gold.
The video that sold me on the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeR5GdVCRLQ
And here we go: the Official Best Thing Of The Decade IS...
1) Another Metroid 2 Remake
Have you ever experienced something great, thought "this couldn't get any better", and then it does? And then it happens again? And again? And yet again? That's exactly what happened when I played this game.
When the early demo was released, I hadn't played it yet and heard people say it was on par with Super Metroid, which I dismissed. Boy, was I wrong. Everything about it is perfect.
Everything- from the surprise Torizo battle, the new area and its music, the cute remote-controlled robot, the energy spheres, the Power Plant escape sequence that gets turned on its head, to the Queen's brutal power-bomb death is perfect.
You know that scene in "Ratatouille" where the critic eats the food and is transported to his childhood? That's basically what happened while I was playing it. The game may have suffered a DMCA death, but I'm grateful it got finished and will continue to live on.
So that's my summation of the past decade.
Here's to a better ten years!
Everyone loves lists, so here are the WORST things of the past ten years, followed by some of the rare non-bad things. I guarantee at least a few of these will be controversial, so buckle up.
(BTW, these are things that have *personally* affected me, otherwise the list would be made up of wars and natural disasters and the like. This list is more about entertainment and people's interests in general.) So here it is:
**** The Top Ten Worst Things Of The 2010s ****
10) How To Train Your Dragon
OK, I might as well start the controversy right away. The movie isn't terrible, but it's certainly overrated. The story is cliche and the dragon designs are awful. One of the biggest things that annoys me as a True Dragon Fan™ is how something mediocre will succeed if dragons are somehow involved. I'm never going to get a good dragon movie/game/TV show if people keep supporting the crap.
Also, this happened right at the beginning of the decade, which gave me a bad omen as to how the rest of it would turn out. I was right.
9) Pony Drama
I know everyone wants to forget this stuff happened, but I think it serves as a good life lesson- if you see a group of people acting stupid about something trivial, don't react by acting WORSE than they are. All it does is add fuel to the fire, which was exactly what happened.
8) Celebrity Deaths
Usually I don't concern myself with celebrities, but even I was taken aback by the sheer number that passed this decade. Rik Mayall and Bob Einstein (aka Super Dave)'s deaths really affected me because of how big a part of my childhood they were.
7) 2010s Music
Pretty self-explanatory. My eye twitches every time I enter a building with the radio on, knowing that Despacito could invade my brain at any time.
6) Disney Ruins Everything
Again, pretty self-explanatory. From buying every media company to pointless live-action remakes to ruining Star Wars (I mean, more than it already has been), who knows where it will end up?
5) Remakes, Reboots and Rehashes
Don't get me wrong- there are some things I'm glad to see return (Red Dwarf, the Invader Zim movie, etc.), but do we need to bring back EVERYTHING? Some things died out for very good reasons (ie Bubsy). This whole thing just reeks of laziness, and the fact that this never gets called out really shows modern audiences in a bad light.
4) Extreme Politics
Politics is something that really interests me, but given the current climate, I'm afraid to say ANYTHING even vaguely in the political realm. In fact, I think I'll just move on to the next item.
3) Indie Game Craze
The theme of the past decade was definitely "bandwagon". And indie games are the perfect example of this. I get why people would be drawn to them, given how bad AAA games have been lately, but are they REALLY that good to justify their popularity? I'd say no.
Think of it his way: If FNAF were originally made by Sony, would it be as popular? Personally, I don't think so. Half of these games just recycle existing games, while the others use weird art styles to distract from mediocre gameplay. I'm probably being too cynical about it, but regardless I haven't enjoyed having them shoved in my face every day.
2) Wii U Era
Nintendo has had bad times before, but nothing compared to this. In five short years their main console tanked, the Amiibo/Classic Mini shortage was a PR disaster, Paper Mario was ruined, they issued endless copyright strikes, and had arguably the worst E3 presentation in history. And throughout all this they acted like the fans were the ones with the attitude problem.
And yet somehow, their next console was one of their biggest successes. Am I the only one who finds this comeback completely undeserved? This is just one of the many things I don't understand about modern gamers.
To me, the Wii U era was one of the biggest middle fingers ever and I doubt I'll support them again. But on the bright side, it makes their classic era look even better by comparison.
And with that, finally - in my opinion - the Official Worst Thing Of The Decade IS...
1) Game of Thrones
All I can say is: F*** this show.
F*** this overrated, overexposed, overpopular, over-everything lowest-common-denominator piece of yak excrement.
With everything else on this list, I can at least see some of the good in them. But I don't see GoT as anything else than mass-market garbage.
At least the final season was considered by many to be awful, so at least I can get a bit of schadenfreude from that.
So, enough negativity. As much as I didn't think it was possible, here are the things I actually liked about the past decade:
**** The Top Ten Best Things of the 2010s ****
10) P.A.D.G.
I realize that putting something *I* made on this list is a bit cheeky, but I had a hard time thinking of ten things to put on this list, so here you go.
I've always wanted to make a comic, but I lacked the idea and artistic talent. Now that I've (mostly) got those things, it's been a lot of fun bringing it to life.
9) Ten Years on FA
I joined this site in 2010 and I've encountered awesome artwork and equally awesome people. I know this site and the fandom in general gets a lot of flack but overall it's been a great experience. Thanks guys!
8) Luigi's Mansion 2
This is my favorite game made by a major gaming company in a long time. As soon as I finished it I started a new playthrough immediately- something I NEVER do. "Charming" is a word I hear a lot when people discuss the game and I think sums it up pretty well. The atmosphere and music really bring the different mansions to life.
I don't plan on getting a Switch so I may not play LM3, but I hear good things so you never know.
7) Pilk
6) Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast
As Old Hollywood gets more and more forgotten, this podcast gives the people who were there a chance to tell their stories. There have been a wide selection of guests from Dick Van Dyke and Adam West to Chevy Chase and Steven Wright, covering every genre and every age.
5) Pokemon Black & White
Pokemon first got big around when I started losing interest in video games, so I never played it. Eventually in 2009 or so I started coming around and picked up Platinum for the heck of it. I thought it was pretty good. So when Black/White hype started building in 2010/11 I really started getting into it.
Some of my favorite designs come from Gen 5, so it's a shame that a lot of people focus on the bad ones (ie "the gears" and "the ice cream"). I love the Unova area (and the different seasons) and I think it had the best story and great characters. The sequel wasn't as good, but I was happy to have a continuation of the story.
X&Y seemed like a rehash of Diamond/Pearl's story (A brooding bad guy wanting to create an ideal world using a Legendary), and Sun/Moon seemed like a mess with a LOT of bad designs. I probably won't play Sword/Shield. But, at least I had fun with the franchise while it lasted.
4) Norm MacDonald Live
It's hard to find online since Netflix took over the rights, but if you like comedians shooting the breeze for an hour and politically incorrect humor, I really recommend it.
Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2XawdY22Ek
3) MLP:FIM
I'm putting this here mainly to troll the haters, but it really was a breath of fresh air from the crap the animation industry has been churning out since the late 90s. With a well-rounded cast, vibrant visuals and fun stories, it's not surprising it took off.
2) Taskmaster
When I first heard the concept - five comedians competing in random tasks - it didn't really sound very entertaining, but I was happy to be proved wrong. It can be hit-or-miss at times, but when you have five different people doing something strange with plenty of room for lateral thinking, you're almost guaranteed to get comedy gold.
The video that sold me on the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeR5GdVCRLQ
And here we go: the Official Best Thing Of The Decade IS...
1) Another Metroid 2 Remake
Have you ever experienced something great, thought "this couldn't get any better", and then it does? And then it happens again? And again? And yet again? That's exactly what happened when I played this game.
When the early demo was released, I hadn't played it yet and heard people say it was on par with Super Metroid, which I dismissed. Boy, was I wrong. Everything about it is perfect.
Everything- from the surprise Torizo battle, the new area and its music, the cute remote-controlled robot, the energy spheres, the Power Plant escape sequence that gets turned on its head, to the Queen's brutal power-bomb death is perfect.
You know that scene in "Ratatouille" where the critic eats the food and is transported to his childhood? That's basically what happened while I was playing it. The game may have suffered a DMCA death, but I'm grateful it got finished and will continue to live on.
So that's my summation of the past decade.
Here's to a better ten years!
charliemcgreevy
~charliemcgreevy
lol I actually liked the wiiu. The switch is great too. But I do agree that their lawsuit happy douchebaggery was crap. But hey I'm just a Nintendo fanboy none the less. The biggest disappointment for me was the death of Marvel Comics and Star Wars. May they rest in peace
