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Can you believe these gaming classics are hitting the big 2-0? Join us as we celebrate the legendary titles from 2006 that shaped gaming as we know it! From epic adventures in Hyrule to hoverboarding with Sonic, these games defined an incredible year for the industry. Which of these birthday games holds a special place in your gaming heart?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo. We're turning 20 this year, and as part of an ode to 2006,
00:11we're counting down the most memorable video games that turned 20 this year too.
00:23Number 20, Sonic Riders.
00:25For a franchise with the motto Gotta Go Fast, it's kind of amazing this was one of its very
00:40first true racing games. Luckily, it revved up with plenty of style. Rather than a run-of-the-mill
00:45mascot kart racer, Sonic Riders introduced Extreme here. Think of them like a mix between a hoverboard
00:51and a skateboard. It provided a surprisingly deep racing experience that prioritized tight turns
00:56and intense resource management. Riders wasn't just a game, it was a whole aesthetic. One,
01:01the franchise has been returning to as recently as 2025's Sonic Racing Cross Worlds. Talk about a
01:07legacy. But enough of this friendly banter, Sonic. You better make sure you're ready when we meet
01:13face-to-face once again. You bet.
01:16Number 19, Nicktoon's Battle for Volcano Island.
01:21That sounds like...
01:24It wasn't me!
01:26Squidward!
01:26So what do you get when you cross SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom, and the Fairly Oddparents
01:31together? An eruption of fun, that's what. While not the first time our favorite Nickelodeon characters
01:37crossed paths, and far from the last, Volcano Island was certainly one of the most memorable.
01:42The plot is bonkers in the best way possible, and the gameplay is admittedly janky. But the
01:47characters are what matter, and they're all in top form here, especially since most are voiced by
01:51their original actors. I mean, what can we say? Even decades later, the charm of seeing Nicktoons unite
01:56is just impossible to pass up.
01:58Number 18, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Blue Rescue Team, and Red Rescue Team.
02:16Just listening to this title theme is enough to send us back to simpler times. As the best-selling
02:21and longest-running Pokemon spin-off, it's no surprise the original Mystery Dungeon installments
02:26are revered to this day. They offered a distinctly different experience from those who just want
02:31to catch them all. Here, you were a Pokemon tasked with exploring randomly generated dungeons,
02:36and engaging it in a surprisingly thoughtful story. But if that wasn't your thing either,
02:41you couldn't go wrong drawing endless circles in Pokemon Ranger. No matter what,
02:452006 was a good time to be a Pokemon fan.
02:54Number 17, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2.
02:57Oh, there you are!
03:04A sequel to one of the greatest arena fighters of all time, and it's got Dragon Ball. With all that,
03:10it's safe to say No Gamer's Collection was complete without Budokai Tenkaichi 2. It had
03:14everything the first game did, but more of it. More characters, more game modes, and more fun than
03:19ever before. In fact, we'd go so far as saying that, in all of gaming, few series personify the joy
03:25of smashing action figures together quite like Budokai Tenkaichi. It's easy to see why, years later,
03:30Dragon Ball fans are still chasing the high of these games.
03:34This fighting copies of yourself business is pretty weird.
03:39How the heck did I get stuck with all this anyway?
03:42Number 16, Mortal Kombat Armageddon.
03:53While we're on the topic of arena fighters, we'd be remiss not to mention one of the biggest releases
03:58in fighting game history. That's really no hyperbole here, as the conclusion of the original
04:03Mortal Kombat story, Armageddon's ridiculous 62-character roster includes just about every
04:09single fighter that you could ever want. But if that somehow isn't enough, there are two slots for
04:14player-creator characters as well, and you could even create your own fatalities. There's really no
04:18way to overstate what an achievement that was back in 2006. Heck, even by today's standards,
04:24Armageddon remains the gold standard for the series.
04:33Number 15, Lego Star Wars 2 The Original Trilogy
04:45The galaxy far, far away has never been so much fun. Whether it was collecting every item, unlocking its
04:50ginormous roster of characters, or just simply messing around in co-op, Lego Star Wars 2 was
04:56guaranteed to be a riot. But you probably already know that these days, most everyone buying a Lego
05:01game knows they're in for a delightful reinvention of their favorite series. While this sequel definitely
05:06rode the hype of the first title, it's strange to consider the Lego games were still a sort of
05:11relatively unknown commodity back then. That is, until the original trilogy proved the first one
05:16wasn't a fluke. And neither was its sequel for that matter.
05:24Number 14, Call of Duty 3
05:35As they say, third time's the charm. Although coming off two juggernaut releases, Call of Duty 3 is
05:40iconic on precedent alone. Some may argue it didn't push the series forward, but to that we say,
05:46it was more Call of Duty. The same gripping first person action, with some enhanced vehicular combat
05:51and environmental destruction thrown in. Plus, the sprawling narrative and refined gameplay laid
05:56the framework for what the series would become. Much of what Call of Duty is today is actually owed
06:01to what the team learned on this game. For something made on an extremely tight production schedule,
06:06that's pretty darn impressive.
06:16Number 13, Marvel Ultimate Alliance
06:26Long before the MCU propelled the brand into the mainstream, Activision showed gamers what a real
06:31comic book crossover looked like. Marvel Ultimate Alliance truly has everything a fan could want.
06:36You can thwip around as Spider-Man, incinerate enemies as Johnny Storm, or shred through mobs as
06:42you embrace your inner Wolverine. Every character was unique, fun, and perfectly brought to life here.
06:47To say nothing of its lengthy, ambitious story mode. Thanks to the success of a certain cinematic
06:52universe, Ultimate Alliance hasn't just aged well, it's arguably more fun today than it actually was at
06:57launch. So if you haven't assembled these Avengers yet, here is your official call to action.
07:03Excuse me, is this the ferry to Staten Island?
07:13Number 12, NBA 2K7
07:15One 14 left in the third quarter.
07:20Williams shoots it, hits the free throw line chain.
07:24With this entry, 2K Sports stopped playing defense and went straight for the championship.
07:29For one, it had a broadcast quality presentation that made you feel closer to the court than ever
07:34before. Secondly, the association mode was a full blown franchise experience, letting players live
07:39out their front office fantasies. And the third? Well, it had Shaq himself on the cover. Sure,
07:44the gameplay was smoother and all that, but really, Shaq is what seals the deal for us at least.
07:49Okay, okay, jokes aside, it feels like this is where the virtual hoops went from a fun pastime
07:54into an annual must play.
07:56To the elbow, Amari shoots it up, misses.
08:00Number 11, Okami
08:10Although it technically hit store shelves in 2006, being one of the final AAA games released on the
08:15PS2 didn't do a lot for Okami's launch sales. Thankfully, Capcom saw the good reviews and have
08:20ported it to several modern platforms in the years since. Nowadays, it's rightfully regarded as one
08:26of the greatest games ever made. Everything from its gripping gameplay to its striking art style is
08:31top notch here. It's just a shame that it took so long for Okami to finally get its due. At the very
08:36least, though, it can take solace that people are still singing its praises some 20 years later.
08:47Number 10, Company of Heroes
08:59Real-time strategy games are split into two, the ones before Company of Heroes and the ones after. Trading,
09:06base-building, busywork for intense cover-based combat, it made every decision feel like the life
09:11or death on the battlefield. There was innovative resource management, squad-based tactics, destructible
09:16environments, and so much more. By now, its legacy of course speaks for itself. It spawned a beloved
09:21franchise, maintained a dedicated multiplayer community for years, and proved that World War
09:272 gaming still had places to grow. So whenever you play an RTS game today, just know that you have
09:32company of heroes to thank for it. We have to silence that NIR craft gun. Let's move out.
09:39Number 9, New Super Mario Bros.
09:46Mario spent a good chunk of the 2000s embracing the third dimension. So in 2006, his grand return to
09:53both handhelds and 2D was exactly what the doctor ordered. Introducing the New Super Mario Bros.
09:58naming scheme, this DS game proved to be a brilliant return to form for the franchise.
10:03It took advantage of the handheld's distinct mechanics to deliver creative and exciting experiences.
10:08It wasn't just a new Mario platformer, it was one of the very best in the plumber's long and
10:13acclaimed history. The fact it spawned a whole new sub-series is proof enough of its success.
10:17Number 8, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.
10:38With the arrival of Tom Clancy in 2006, gaming defined what next-gen warfare could look like.
10:44Stunning visuals, tactical gameplay, and a revolutionary cross-com system were just some
10:49of the innovations Ghost Recon brought to the table. It was such a smashing success,
10:53its rivals in the genre couldn't help but take notice. For a while, it felt like the entire
10:58shooter industry was either emulating Tom Clancy or actively avoiding it. You could argue it's still
11:03happening today. With one title, publisher Ubisoft proved the shooter genre wasn't out of ammo just yet.
11:08Number 7, Cooking Mama.
11:26Every chef has their first day in the kitchen, but not every chef earns 5 Michelin stars like this one
11:31did. The recipe here is deceptively simple. You start with a heaping portion of the DS's touch screen,
11:37add in a dash of mini-games, a spoonful of cartoony menus, and mix it all together with
11:41a flavorful gameplay loop. So just like that, Cooking Mama was a dish that actually came out
11:46perfectly. Now it didn't go crazy with spice or seasoning, it was just a cozy simple recipe
11:51that was bound to fill you up before bed or before some long car rides. And somehow it hasn't gone stale yet.
11:57Number 6, Final Fantasy XII.
12:06I give you your new consul, is Imperial Highness Lord Vain Solidor, Commandant of the Arcadian Empire's
12:13Western Arm... Your Excellency.
12:15Both a black sheep and a beloved classic, this 12th foray into the fantasy series was the series'
12:21biggest gambit yet. Mostly because of a combat mechanic called, well, Gambit. By removing random
12:26encounters and adding more real-time strategy to the combat, Final Fantasy XII reinvented the series
12:31at its core. In a lesser title, it could have gone horribly wrong, but against all odds, it was a
12:36slam dunk here. It iterated on the best parts of Final Fantasy, while maintaining the spirit diehards
12:42had come to expect. It was bold, it was fun, and it remains a refreshing high point in a series with no
12:47shortage of amazing titles.
12:58Number 5, Wii Sports.
13:11Hitting the perfect balance between skill, accessibility, and pure fun, there may never be a console tie-in as
13:17perfect as Wii Sports. Its intuitive motion controls made it one of the easiest games to pick up and
13:22play, maybe ever. The simplicity was just part of its charm. You could spend hours customizing your
13:27me, challenging your friends, or just jamming out to its iconic menu music. It's all the more impressive
13:33since Wii Sports could have so easily been a lazy advertisement for its namesake console. Instead,
13:38it's fondly remembered to this day as something gamers, newbies, and families alike could all bond over.
13:47Number 4, Guitar Hero 2.
14:00Is there anything more quintessentially 2000s than jamming out to a rock song on a plastic guitar?
14:06Now, we don't say that lightly. Guitar Hero genuinely feels like it defined a generation.
14:10You either played it, or you wish you did. In 2006, the novelty of getting an actual instrument with your
14:16game hadn't worn off yet. Although it definitely helped that Guitar Hero 2 upped the ante with
14:20more songs and note combinations, it was a rocking sequel to an already amazing game,
14:25and turned the series from a one-hit wonder to a bonafide hall of famer.
14:29Number 3, The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion.
14:39Let me see your face. You are the one from my dreams. Then the stars were right. And this is the day.
14:49Open worlds don't get any better than this. For the first time, players could truly do whatever they
14:53wanted. If you weren't interested in the main campaign, consider it gone. If there's a mountain in
14:58the distance, you can head straight there. On top of a dizzying amount of gear, looting, and social
15:03systems, it's insane to think Oblivion fit onto one disc back in 2006. Of course, it came with a
15:09litany of bugs and glitches, but over the years, the community has embraced them as part of the
15:14Oblivion experience. After all, despite its issues, you'd be hard pressed to find a better open world
15:19experience, well, ever.
15:27Number 2, Gears of War.
15:38Halo, step aside. With Gears of War, there was a new shooter franchise in town, and it was putting the
15:43pedal to the metal. This brutal, adrenaline-fueled masterpiece didn't just showcase Unreal Engine 3's
15:48graphical power, it weaponized it. Gears of War made you feel like you really lived in the dark,
15:53locust overrun world. Combined with systems like its active reload and cover-based combat,
15:58each exchange was sure to get your pulse racing. The franchise has rightfully continued on long
16:03beyond this debut, and inspired tons of ripoffs and even copycats. But nothing quite beats the original.
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16:25Number 1, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
16:39Here it is, the grand, sweeping Zelda epic that proved bigger could absolutely be better.
16:44The scale of Twilight Princess, both in its dungeons and story, elevated the series to a peak
16:49fans had really only dreamt about. At a time when most Nintendo titles were trying something new,
16:54this one doubled down on its core gameplay, delivering some of the best Zelda controls to
16:58date. Now, that's not to say it rested on its laurels, not at all. The wolf mechanics added some
17:03much needed variety, and Midna is easily one of the franchise's greatest companions.
17:08Add Twilight Princess to the growing pile of reasons Zelda is gaming royalty forevermore.
17:12So, what's your favorite 2006 title? Did it make our list? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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