There are certain games that become so popular when they come out that end up embodying a time period. For most gamers in the 2000s, there were a number of major releases on platforms that became benchmarks for the era they were in. Part of this was due to the constant crossover between video games and other aspects of pop-culture, more specifically the music industry. With franchises like Halo and other big budget t**les making such a splash in the public eye, some musical artists would release tracks to pair up with games that were going to be smash hits. You could go anywhere and see a popular video game marketed alongside a trending artist, or a song that would stick with people.