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ULTROS! · May 4, 2017

In contrast to this thread. I'd like to discuss what year/s has been great for gamers.

In recent memory (not sure if this counts), the last half of 2016 and first half of 2017 has been one of the best in recent memory, in that span we got:

June 2016 - Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, Zero Time Dilemma
July 2016 - I Am Setsuna
August 2016 - The King of Fighters XIV, God Eater 2, God Eater Resurrection
September 2016 - Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
October 2016 - Dragon Quest Builders, World of Final Fantasy, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2
November 2016 - Dishonored 2, Watch_Dogs 2, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Final Fantasy XV
December 2016 - The Last Guardian
January 2017 - Resident Evil 7, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD, Tales of Berseria, Yakuza 0, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
February 2017 - Nioh, For Honor, Horizon Zero Dawn
March 2017 - NieR: Automata, Danganronpa 1.2 Reload, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD, Zero Escape: The Nonary Games, Snipperclips, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Bomberman R
April 2017 - Persona 5, Dragon Quest Heroes II, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, The Disney Afternoon Collection
May 2017 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

SatelliteOfLove · May 4, 2017

It is 1998. It always was, and always will be.

Stencil · May 4, 2017

Yeah this year's been pretty dope.
Edit: as defined by the past 12 months. However I stand by picking 2017 if I have to if only because of my GOAT Zelda BOTW (and I guess Persona 5 is p good &#128540

minameissteve · May 4, 2017

1998 without doubt. 2001 is a close second.

CorySchmitz · May 4, 2017

I agree. The past 12 months.

Mobius 1 · May 4, 2017

SatelliteOfLove said:
It is 1998. It always was, and always will be.

Always will be.

GavinUK86 · May 4, 2017

minameissteve said:
1998 without doubt. 2001 is a close second.

SatelliteOfLove said:
It is 1998. It always was, and always will be.

Want to add some context to why?

James Scott · May 4, 2017

2017 looks pretty good so far. It's been the best first halves in a while for me, in any case.

13ruce · May 4, 2017

Last half of 2016 + 2017 entirely imo.
Reminds me of the PS2 days with the many fantastic game releases in a single year.

PhilipDoesMatter · May 4, 2017

GavinUK86 said:
Want to add some context to why?

Ocarina of Time

Syrus · May 4, 2017

Chrono trigger year

dragonzdogma · May 4, 2017

The year of FF7, castlevania SOTN and sega saturn guardian heroes..199X something.

catapult37 · May 4, 2017

1998 the GOAT with 2007 close behind.

1998:
- Ocarina of Time
- Half-life
- Starcraft
- Metal Gear Solid
- Xenogears
- Baldur's Gate
- Resident Evil 2
- Grim Fandango

2007:
- Bioshock
- Orange Box (Portal, TF2, Half-Life2 Episode 2)
- Super Mario Galaxy
- The Witcher
- Uncharted
- Rock Band
- God of War II
- COD 4
- Halo 3
- Mass Effect

Dang, 2007 might actually win.

massoluk · May 4, 2017

January-April 2017 is better than any year

Syf · May 4, 2017

The year with StarCraft Brood War in it. Yeah that one.

Tarextherex · May 4, 2017

1998 easy

NFreak · May 4, 2017

1998 for me but when it's all said and done I think 2017 could surpass it. The first 4 months have been insane.

minameissteve · May 4, 2017

GavinUK86 said:
Want to add some context to why?

We probably won't ever get as many genre-defining games in a single year.

Ocarina of Time
Metal Gear Solid
Starcraft
Half Life
Grim Fandango
Crash 3
Spyro the Dragon
Pokemon Red and Blue

The sheer quantity and quality of games was staggering. Anyone can find a game from that year they love.

OrbitalBeard · May 4, 2017

GavinUK86 said:
Want to add some context to why?

OoT
Half-Life
Metal Gear Solid
Thief
Grim Fandango
Resident Evil 2
Fallout 2
StarCraft
Xenogears
F-Zero X
Banjo Kazooie
Unreal
Pokemon Red and Blue (in the west)

To name a few.

Coffinhal · May 4, 2017

Years when we weren't making lists of "the best, the worst years of gaming" without any relevant criterias or methodology

Ricerocket · May 4, 2017

1999 was my best. Everquest got me hooked on online gaming and DAoC was a close 2nd. Years put into those games lol

It was when I realize AOL online didn't fuckin work at all for online gaming for anything but their own services so I had something I think called Earthlink? Good times.

Dezzy · May 4, 2017

For PS4+Switch owners, 2017. I can't keep up with these games, and it's a good problem to have. Loving all these great Japanese games. If we get lucky enough this year that we really get Dragon Quest XI and Xenoblade 2 in the west, that seals the deal for me.

collige · May 4, 2017

1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2007 all come to mind.

secretanchitman · May 4, 2017

1998 was absolutely the best year in gaming for me.

Ocarina of Time
Starcraft
Marvel vs Capcom
Pokemon Red/Blue
Metal Gear Solid
Half Life
Grim Fandango
Sonic Adventure
F-Zero X
Xenogears
Spyro the Dragon
Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit
Street Fighter Alpha 3

Im probably forgetting more!

SatelliteOfLove · May 4, 2017

GavinUK86 said:
Want to add some context to why?

AND HOW.

You will never see the conflation of new technologies and low-cost, the perfection of some genres and arisal of new ones. Masterpieces whose shadows continue to affect the modern day, nearly 20 years out.

Half-Life 1 (major step forward in story telling in games, understanding of how the eyes move in 3D games, etc)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (a major breakthru in 3D combat and interaction via context-sensitive buttons)

Metal Gear Solid 1 (huge, well-acted script that was a huge standard-setter for localizations)

Grim Fandango (one of the most well-respected Adventure games of all time)

Unreal (one of the two titans of fast-action FPS and a major step towards middleware development)

Fallout 2 (huge collection of player agency and multi-branching RPG play)

Thief 1 (a huge and oft-unknown example of stealth and level design)

Starcraft 1 (a shattering arrival in competitive gaming and the RTS genre in specific)

Suikoden 2 (perfected the series formula and has a wonderfully unusual act form)

Panzer Dragoon Saga (one of the Saturn's best games and still to this day refreshingly unique and brisk)

SoulCalibur 1 (a Fighter masterpiece, 8-Way Run alone was a game-changer)

Then you have a barrage of beloved titles like Baldur's Gate, Resident Evil 2, Star Ocean 2, and so so many more. This amount of innovation and iteration will NEVER be matched again.

tiebreaker · May 4, 2017

The 3 months stretch of June to August 2016 is actually pretty underwhelming. I think this year will top it easily.

ASaiyan · May 4, 2017

2017 has already been pretty amazing. So far I've played BotW, Nier Automata, Mario Kart 8, and Persona 5. I preordered Fire Emblem Echoes, and I just bought Yakuza 0 because I didn't have the cash for it in January. Still in the pipeline for this year is Splatoon 2, Sonic Mania, Mario Odyssey, Yakuza Kiwami, and the FF12 remaster. I'm eyeing Prey, RiME, and Valkyria Revolution. Dragon Quest 11 releases July in Japan. And who knows what'll be announced at E3 for this year.

I can't think of another year in my own memory with so many great games releasing one after the other. My wallet is starting to buckle. It's absolutely amazing.

Ash735 · May 4, 2017

1997/1998 was the ultimate:

- Final Fantasy VII
- Goldeneye
- Mario Kart 64
- Tekken 3
- Dungeon Keeper
- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
- Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
- Grand Theft Auto
- Blade Runner
- The Curse Of Monkey Island
- Grim Fandango
- Crash Bandicoot 2
- Crash Bandicoot 3
- Spyro The Dragon
- Tomb Raider II
- Quake II
- Half Life
- Resident Evil 2
- Gran Turismo
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Metal Gear Solid
- Fallout 2
- Pokemon Red and Blue

Technically One and a Half years spread out there but damn, growing up then was like a double KO on wallets.

batrush · May 4, 2017

CorySchmitz said:
I agree. The past 12 months.

Yep. 1998 doesn't come close really.

MikeyB · May 4, 2017

2003 and 2004 for me. I don't play new releases and in that span I played Fallout 2, Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape: Torment, Diablo 2, Escape Velocity: Override, Chrono Trigger, Freelancer, Rogue Squadron 2, and SSX Tricky.

It was wonderful.

TheDinoman · May 4, 2017

1998, baby.

Ocarina of Time, Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, and of course the GOAT, Banjo-Kazooie.

Data West · May 4, 2017

2001 never gets its dues

150167-Baldur's_Gate_-_Dark_Alliance_(USA)-1.jpg

OrbitalBeard · May 4, 2017

Yeah, I'd probably put 2001 right after '98.

Lothar · May 4, 2017

1990

Super Mario Bros 3
Castlevania 3
Mega Man 3
Maniac Mansion
Ninja Gaiden 2
Double Dragon 2
Final Fantasy
Startropics
Crystalis
Super C
River City Ransom
Dragon Warrior 2
Dr Mario
TMNT 2: The Arcade Game
Batman
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers
Deja Vu

This is just NES. Someone could probably add in PC and Genesis.

1998 and 2001 are 2nd and 3rd.

daTRUballin · May 4, 2017

Data West said:
2001 never gets its dues

Don't forget this:

And maybe these?

anniestarheart · May 4, 2017

SatelliteOfLove said:
AND HOW.

You will never see the conflation of new technologies and low-cost, the perfection of some genres and arisal of new ones. Masterpieces whose shadows continue to affect the modern day, nearly 20 years out.

this.. this makes me happy and sad all at once

thank you for this great summary!

TheRedSnifit · May 4, 2017

2007.

Let's not even list all the games. Let's just look at a single genre:

Kthulhu · May 4, 2017

This year is looking like it belongs in the pantheon of great gaming years, especially if you've got a PS4.

brandonh83 · May 4, 2017

Maybe this one. We'll need to see what happens the rest of the year though. It's too early to tell.

Busaiku · May 4, 2017

2010

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Sin & Punishment Star Successor
999 Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Pokémon Heart Gold
Monster Hunter Tri
Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey
Professor Layton and The Unwound Future
Trauma Team
Super Street Fighter IV
BlazBlue Continuum Shift
Ys Seven
Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars
Bayonetta
Vanquish
Civilization V
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Super Meat Boy
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

And so on.

Vyrance · May 4, 2017

1999 just for Everquest

AYF 001 · May 4, 2017

"When I was 12-14"

That's probably where most of the years picked will correlate to.

RandomExpletive · May 4, 2017

98 will always win

I love Halo 3, and played TF2 for five whole years, but you can't beat the 98 lineup

Frostinferno · May 4, 2017

More people really need to look at the 2001 release list. That year was just as amazing as 1998.

TheRedSnifit said:
2007.

Let's not even list all the games. Let's just look at a single genre:

The year that made the FPS genre the biggest in console gaming. Crazy stuff.

NESpowerhouse · May 4, 2017

I'm kinda sick of posting this:

Calavera520 · May 4, 2017

oof this thread is getting me nostalgic. I still remember bringing home that starcraft box and booting it up.

anniestarheart · May 4, 2017

NESpowerhouse said:
I'm kinda sick of posting this:

2001 was no slouch indeed, especially considering nintendos output as well! Still though, 1998...

always crazy bacon · May 4, 2017

1998 lists that ignore Saturn releases are sad! Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga and Radiant Silvergun.

1998, best year ever.

DJIzana · May 4, 2017

For me--

1995: Earthbound and Chrono Trigger

1998: Final Fantasy Tactics

2000: Chrono Cross

2001/2002: Phantasy Star Online (2002 for Episode 1 and 2 on Gamecube w/ local multiplayer).

2003: Ragnarok Online

I've had other years in gaming before 1995 after 2003 but these just... these stand out the most to me. This gen I'd also add to this list. I won't list specific titles but really, 2014-2018 has some memorable stuff I've played / am looking forward to playing.

slick7rick · May 4, 2017

For me it was 2001. I was a teenager, working, and able to afford whatever I wanted. So many glorious PS2 and GCN games!

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