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Is 2017 the best year for games since 1998?

S

Seiryoden

Member
I've been thinking about this as well. For myself, the answer is Yes. I think 2017 has a chance to surpass 1998. Odyssey and Wolfenstein might tip me. I had a potential GOTY list in April.
 
A

ASaiyan

Banned
If we're going to actually make a full list of 2017 games:

Yakuza 0
Dragon Quest VIII 3D
Gravity Rush 2
Resident Evil 7
Nioh
Night in the Woods
Hollow Knight
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nier Automata
Persona 5
Puyo Puyo Tetris
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Prey
Fire Emblem Echoes
Tekken 7
Arms
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
Splatoon 2
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Tacoma
Dragon Quest XI (in Japan)
StarCraft Remastered
Nidhogg 2
Sonic Mania
Yakuza Kiwami
Mario + Rabbids (looks solid, we'll see)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
KNACK 2 BABY!!!!!!!!
Metroid: Samus Returns
Danganronpa V3
Cuphead
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga remake
Forza 7
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Evil Within 2
Fire Emblem Warriors
South Park: The Fractured but Whole
Super Mario Odyssey
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

And that's just through October.

2017 will most definitely go down in history with '07, '01 and '98. "Best" is highly subjective, but it definitely belongs in the same conversation.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
2004 is I think the god year to beat and we haven't passed it yet, but I think we are on pace. If Mario Odyssey is as good as it looks... could be the best year.

That said, 2002 to 2005 was obscenely good. I doubt we'll get another four year run like that.
 
T

Triteon

Member
Ehh.

Its been ok. Started strong, Yakuza 0 hit the spot. Zelda was a fantastic palet cleanser but i didnt find it s amazing as everyone else seemed to. I enjoyed my time with persona but not enough to replay it. Horizon ZD is actually a bit of a disappointment, im playing through it now and its not grabbing me.

Ive still been spending alot of time in titanfall 2 multiplayer and nothing has really taken that spot. I thought Splatoon 2 might replace it but i just dont find the gameplay as satisfying.

On the plus side though Puyo Puyo Tetris has been great for local multi and PUBG has devoured many of my late night hours.

All in all if Odyssy is fantastic, Kiwami hits the way 0 did and WWII's multi is fun it would go some way as cementing 2017 into maybe top five release years this century.
 
T

TheSpaceBetween

Member
plagiarize said:
2004 is I think the god year to beat and we haven't passed it yet, but I think we are on pace. If Mario Odyssey is as good as it looks... could be the best year.

That said, 2002 to 2005 was obscenely good. I doubt we'll get another four year run like that.
Click to expand...

November 2004 was probably the best month in gaming of all time.

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Half-Life 2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Counter-Srike: Source
Halo 2
Jak 3
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within


Edit: Sorry for the double post.
 
R

RespectThySole

Member
Don't even think it beats 2015.

The Witcher 3 & Bloodborne are better than anything that came out this year(some might put BoTW on the same level though) and you still had other great games like MGSV, Rocket League, Her Story, Undertale, etc.
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
I can't remember that much about 2007... Blue Dragon and Mario Galaxy came out that year, right? Was Lost Odyssey that year or '08?
 
R

Raitaro

Member
It's definitely a stand out year if you care about nostalgic / iconic series returning to the forefront of the larger gaming conversation imo. In fact, I might as well make use of this thread to post a list that I've been forming in my head these past few days by looking (back) at this year.

Ignoring actual quality in some cases (though many have been fantastic) and adding in fan projects and non-gaming media, people have had reasons to talk about the following series / IP again in 2017 (in random order):

- (3D) Mario (Super Mario Odyssey)
- Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
- Metroid (Metroid: Samus Returns + Metroid 4 announced)
- Mario Kart (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe)
- Sonic (Sonic Mania & Sonic Forces)
- Starcraft (Starcraft Remastered
- Mega Man (Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 & Mega Maker)
- Marvel vs Capcom (Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite)
- Darkstalkers (Jedah in MVC:I)
- Street Fighter (Street Fighter V season 2)
- Dragon Ball Z (Dragon Ball FighterZ)
- Castlevania (Netflix Castlevania cartoon & Bloodstained even though it has been delayed)
- Battle Royale (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds)
- Metal Gear (Metal Gear Survive; which has been missing from the conversation lately...)
- Tekken (Tekken 7)
- Quake (Quake Champions)
- Doom (Doom VFR & Doom Slayer cameo in Quake Champions)
- Wolfenstein (Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus)
- Crash Bandicoot (HD collection)
- Yakuza (Yakuza 0 & Kiwami & 6 announced)
- Dark Souls (Dark Souls 3 Ringed City & teased new FROM projects)
- Uncharted (Uncharted: The Lost Legacy)
- Persona (Persona 5)
- XCOM (XCOM 2: War of the Chosen)
- Bayonetta (PC release)
- Vanquish (PC release)
- NieR (NieR: Automata)
- Far Cry (Far Cry 5)
- Team Ninja (/ Ninja Gaiden) (Nioh)
- Resident Evil (Resident Evil 7 & Remake 2 being teased)
- Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy XV DLC & Final Fantasy VII Remake even though that is far off still)
- Kingdom Hearts (KH 3 trailer)
- Shenmue (Shenmue 3 becoming more concrete and getting a publisher)
- Wipeout (Wipeout: Omega Collection)
- Gran Turismo (GT Sport)
- Puyo Puyo & Tetris (...Puyo Puyo Tetris)
- Capcom NES Disney games (The Disney Afternoon Collection)
- Ys (Ys Origin)
- Dragon Quest (DQ8 rerelease & DQ11 announcement)
- Fire Emblem (FE: Echoes)
- Rareware 3D platformers (Yooka-Layle)
- Mass Effect (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
- Wild Guns (Wild Guns: Reloaded on Steam)
- King of Fighters (KOFXIV DLC)
- WindJammers (upcoming rerelease)
- Blaster Master (BM: Zero)
- and yes, also about Knack (Knack 2) and Raving Rabbids (Mario + Rabbids: KB)...

I mean, sure, every year has plenty of older series being talked about due to some form of release but jeez, what a list! And again, not all of these entries are games of high quality or even (full) games (releasing this year) but still, people are talking and getting enthusiastic about these IP again and that warms my heart.
 
C

crash-14

Member
How remasters and relaunch add to a year been the best?

Crash, Mario Kart and others shouldn't count. Sonic on the other hand does, since it's a new game.
 
R

Raitaro

Member
crash-14 said:
How remasters and relaunch add to a year been the best?

Crash, Mario Kart and others shouldn't count. Sonic on the other hand does, since it's a new game.
Click to expand...

I wasn't necessarily measuring 2017 as the "best year" in objective terms per se but instead took a small detour by talking about how great this year has been in terms of getting people to talk about many, many old series again due to re-releases, remasters, fan projects etc. I tried to clarify that above my list.

If you just count actual game releases I guess only new games should count indeed. Not sure how 2017 stacks up against the all-time great years of gaming yet on those more strict terms, but it's no doozy either I believe.
 
M

Mr. Nice_Guy

Member
'98 had a lot of watershed moments in games that I don't immediately see being outdone in the medium anytime soon, but this year is a top contender for second best year, and easily the best year for this generation of consoles.
 
M

Mr. Nice_Guy

Member
'98 had a lot of watershed moments in games that I don't immediately see being outdone in the medium anytime soon, but this year is a top contender for second best year, and easily the best year for this generation of consoles.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
It's been a great year, but I do feel like it was a bit front loaded. Let's see how the big games coming out towards the end of the year fare.

Best year this generation that's for sure!
 
D

Davide

Member
No only the first quarter of the year was fantastic. I'd say 2015 was a better year. The Witcher 3, MGSV, Arkham Knight, Bloodborne.
 
Shpeshal Nick

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
98 and 2007 both have 2017 beat and that's even taking Cuphead, Forza 7, Shadow of War, GT Sport and Mario Odyssey into account.

I'm not saying it isn't close, but yeah, not quite.
 
wapplew

wapplew

Member
bayman13 said:
Not if you own an XB1?
Click to expand...

Halo Wars 2
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
Phantom Dust Remaster
Forza 7
Super Lucky's Tale
Cuphead
PUBG
Recore: Definitive Edition
Disneyland Adventures
Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
Zoo Tycoon
Minecraft Better Together

Not the best lineup in Xbox history but man, what a year for Xbox one.
 
D

digdug2k

Member
When your "Is this the best year ever list?" includes a bunch of remakes of games that came out a few years ago (i.e. Mario Kart, Splatoon, Crash, large parts of Sonic, etc), I think you're probably not in the best year ever.
 
Z

Zia

Member
Definitely.

Breath of the Wild might be the best game ever made, and then there's a definitive versions of Bayonetta, Superhot, Rez and Mario Kart. Splatoon 2, Arms, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Nioh, Persona 5, Yakuza 0, Night in the Woods, Pyre, Edith Finch, PUBG early access release, Nier Automata, Nidhogg 2, StarCraft Remastered, Dandy Dungeon, Rime, The Sexy Brutale, Little Nightmares, Resident Evil VII, Prey, No Man's Sky 1.3, Polybius, Nex Machina...

And then there's Super Mario Odyssey, which looks to be an all-time great.

We still have a lot of great games on the way and I'd already put this year against any other.
 
R

RBIYF

Neo Member
1998 and 2007 are still tops, with '98 still the reigning king for me in terms of a wave of influential and iconic milestone releases spread across essentially all genres and platforms.

...but I'll definitely agree that 2017 is so far the best year this generation and current decade.
 
F

FC Bayern

Member
Etrian Odyssey 5
Danganronpa 3
YS 8*

All coming west too. Such an amazing year. Compared to the dry years we've had when games like Shadow of Modor was the best we could offer.
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
Servbot24 said:
What year has had better OSTs than Nier + Persona + Zelda + Gravity Rush?
Click to expand...

Nintendo were on fire in 2014. Kirby Triple Deluxe, DK Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Smash Bros. for Wii U all had magnificent OSTs.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was kickin' as well. KH 2.5 with its orchestrated II and BBS tracks.

But those soundtracks + Splatoon 2 and Sonic Mania are all brilliant.
 
Samanosuke Akechi

Samanosuke Akechi

Member
2001 beats all.

Gba advance games, ps2 games plus GameCube and Xbox launch make 01 unbeatable in my opinion.

PS2:

Atv off-road fury
Zone of the Enders /MGS 2 demo
The bouncer
Onimusha
Klonoa 2
Extermination
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Resident evil code Veronica X / Dmc demo
Grand theft auto 3
Silent hill 2
Devil may cry
Metal Gear Solid 2
Final Fantasy X
Ace combat 4: shattered skies
Jak and daxter
SSX tricky
Tony hawk PS 3


GCN:

Luigi's mansion
Star Wars rogue squadron 2
Wave race blue storm
Super smash bros melee
Pikmin


Xbox:

Halo
Dead or alive 3
Oddworld Munches odyssey
Fusion frenzy
Project Gotham racing

And lots of gba and psx games as well such as megaman x6 and final Fantasy chronicles.
 
S

Soar

Member
The last time I had this much fun gaming was back then with Torment, Baldur's Gate 2, Starcraft, Diablo 2 and OG Counterstrike. This year has been really fantastic for me.
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
Samanosuke Akechi said:
2001 beats all.

Gba advance games, ps2 games plus GameCube and Xbox launch make 01 unbeatable in my opinion.

PS2:

Atv off-road fury
Zone of the Enders /MGS 2 demo
The bouncer
Onimusha
Klonoa 2
Extermination
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Resident evil code Veronica X / Dmc demo
Grand theft auto 3
Silent hill 2
Devil may cry
Metal Gear Solid 3
Final Fantasy X
Ace combat 4: shattered skies
Jak and daxter
SSX tricky
Tony hawk PS 3


GCN:

Luigi's mansion
Star Wars rogue squadron 2
Wave race blue storm
Super smash bros melee
Pikmin


Xbox:

Halo
Dead or alive 3
Oddworld Munches odyssey
Fusion frenzy
Project Gotham racing

And lots of gba and psx games as well such as megaman x6 and final Fantasy chronicles.
Click to expand...

Last year of the Dreamcast too. Sonic Adventure 2, Shenmue 2, Segagaga, Crazy Taxi 2, and Capcom VS SNK 2. And Virtua Fighter 4 in arcades.

Plus on handhelds, in addition to the GBA launch, the GBC wound down with the Zelda Oracle duology. Very busy year. That generation started off with a bang.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Samanosuke Akechi said:
2001 beats all.

Gba advance games, ps2 games plus GameCube and Xbox launch make 01 unbeatable in my opinion.

PS2:

Atv off-road fury
Zone of the Enders /MGS 2 demo
The bouncer
Onimusha
Klonoa 2
Extermination
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Resident evil code Veronica X / Dmc demo
Grand theft auto 3
Silent hill 2
Devil may cry
Metal Gear Solid 3
Final Fantasy X
Ace combat 4: shattered skies
Jak and daxter
SSX tricky
Tony hawk PS 3


GCN:

Luigi's mansion
Star Wars rogue squadron 2
Wave race blue storm
Super smash bros melee
Pikmin


Xbox:

Halo
Dead or alive 3
Oddworld Munches odyssey
Fusion frenzy
Project Gotham racing

And lots of gba and psx games as well such as megaman x6 and final Fantasy chronicles.
Click to expand...

There are some pretty stinky games in this list like Fusion Frenzy and The Bouncer.

But... some good PC releases in 2001 to counter. Like Tribes 2, Anachranox, Wolfenstein, Max Payne, AvP2, Worms World Party etc.
 
Z

Zukkoyaki

Member
It's looking like a very strong contender for my personal favorite. Up until now it's been 2003 for me.

Wind Waker, ZOE2, KOTR, Soul Calibur II, FF Tactics Advance... That year did sooo much to define my taste in games.
 
L

Lucumo

Member
crash-14 said:
How remasters and relaunch add to a year been the best?

Crash, Mario Kart and others shouldn't count. Sonic on the other hand does, since it's a new game.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. Especially hilarious are the lists that add Yakuza 0 and Kiwami while at the same time including Dragon Quest XI.
 
T

Temp_User

Member
1998 is still the king for me. And it still has the most revolutionary November lineup.

November 19: Half-Life
November 21: Dance Dance Revolution(arcade)
November 21: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
November 30: StarCraft: Brood War
November 30: Thief: The Dark Project
November 30: Baldur's Gate
November 30: Starsiege: Tribes

*MGS and Pokemon was at September, iirc.
 
JimmyRustler

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
IceBringer said:
Damn I actually haven't bought a single game released this year hahaha. No year will ever top 2007 though
Click to expand...
This was me in 2016. Never again.

2017 has been great so far for me.

With Prey I not only got one game I'd rate 10/10 but also the SS3 I was waiting for for over a decade. Then my all time favorite series Resident Evil got a glorious comeback with RE7 (which I'd rate 9/10). I got an amazing new IP with Horizon (also 9/10) and one of the most special gaming experiences to date with Hellblade (also 9/10).

That were the ones that stood out for me so far. Crash Remaster was great and I also loved What Remains of Edith Finch.

The only game that really hurt me was Mass Effect Andromeda. Biggest disappointment in years for me. But on the other hand it made me finally replay the original trilogy (which I wanted to for a long, long time), so it got at least that going for it.

Left a lot of good games aside that I really wanted to play like Yakuza or Zelda but this year I figured I'd rather focus on fewer games and enjoy them thoroughly instead of trying to play everything that looks interesting to me. And despite missing some great games I have to say that this is the best decision I have made in years in terms of gaming. Haven't had this much fun playing games for a long, long time.

So yeah, 2017 has been really great and special for me so far. Looking forward to Lost Legacy, Evil Within 2 and AC Origins, which will be my remaining new games this year. Perhaps I'll yet manage to squeeze in the Switch and Zelda and/ Mario in there somewhere. But only if I find enough time. No more rushing through games so I can finish them until the next big release.
 
R

RossoneR

Banned
If you play on few platforms, every year can be amazing and depending on your taste. PC gamers still in best position speaking of whats avaliable to them.

For me, 2017 s ok, thats it.
On top of my head Nioh was great but BB was better. About 8 hours into Nier, not feeling it.
Still to get Horizon and Lost legacy. Tekken s good but tekken 3 had more impact on me. Tried RE7 and honestly dont like first person view. Dont care about persona, yakuza (never grabed me since ps2), gravity rush. Dont care about switch and nintendo games. Adnromeda destroyed ME legacy in my eyes. Prefer CTR to Crash. People praise Prey but i couldnt stand controls in demo. God-awful so skipped it.

Speaking of upcoming stuff, after first destiny zero interest in sequel, keeping my eye on TEW2 and reviews (first was hot trash), ll get GTS and star wars. Probably missing something.

07 and 04 were better.
 
G

GamerJM

Banned
I think I prefer the majority of the years during the 2000s over this one. It might be the best year this decade though, the biggest problem is that I have a weird feeling that the last few months could kinda drop the ball for me.

Really I feel like you can honestly kind of make every year since the late 80s look amazing by listing a shitton of games that are generally considered to be good. There are a lot of video games out there and there has been for decades now.

Also I will say that this year is probably much better than 1998....but I don't think 98 is that particularly great. The next three years that followed were, though, IMO.
 
D

Drillary Clinton

Banned
I'm inclined to say yes even tho titles like GRWL, Nier, and Nioh have severely disappointed me. Because so many people do love those games and just coupled with the sheer output we've seen. Even with that disappointment, I've gotten one of my favorite games ever (GR2), PUBG, Stormblood, Horizon, Persona 5, Yakuza, BOTW, Night in the Woods, and PREY.
 
Megatron

Megatron

Member
ASaiyan said:
If we're going to actually make a full list of 2017 games:

Yakuza 0
Dragon Quest VIII 3D
Gravity Rush 2
Resident Evil 7
Nioh
Night in the Woods
Hollow Knight
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nier Automata
Persona 5
Puyo Puyo Tetris
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Prey
Fire Emblem Echoes
Tekken 7
Arms
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
Splatoon 2
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Tacoma
Dragon Quest XI (in Japan)
StarCraft Remastered
Nidhogg 2
Sonic Mania
Yakuza Kiwami
Mario + Rabbids (looks solid, we'll see)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
KNACK 2 BABY!!!!!!!!
Metroid: Samus Returns
Danganronpa V3
Cuphead
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga remake
Forza 7
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Evil Within 2
Fire Emblem Warriors
South Park: The Fractured but Whole
Super Mario Odyssey
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

And that's just through October.

2017 will most definitely go down in history with '07, '01 and '98. "Best" is highly subjective, but it definitely belongs in the same conversation.
Click to expand...


I would add Halo Wars 2, Uncharted Lost Legacy and Injustice 2
 
Nocturno999

Nocturno999

Member
Probably yes, because this year has been stellar considering how difficult is becoming to bring new experiences to this industry.

The amount of quality games being released throughout the year has been staggering.

We are coming to a point that we don't have the time and money to experience everything.
 
M

Magic Mushroom

Member
GamerJM said:
I think I prefer the majority of the years during the 2000s over this one. It might be the best year this decade though, the biggest problem is that I have a weird feeling that the last few months could kinda drop the ball for me.
Click to expand...

Why? These months won't erase all the good games that came out. That and games like Super Mario Odyssey and Wolfenstein II have tons if potential.
 
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