Best Year Ever?

[Kubrick]

Which was it?

The year 2000 was definitely a good time to be a Dreamcast owner, but there's no doubt in my mind that the vintage year for videogaming was 1996. Consider the evidence:

Super Mario 64
Pilotwings 64
VF2
Metal Slug
Nights
Wipeout 2097
Panzer Dragoon Zwei
Resident Evil
Sega Rally

All genre-defining classics, and I could easily double the list since those are just a few of the AAA titles released during that calendar year. Sega & Nintendo were arguably at the height of their creative powers, and fighting to be the market leader along with Sony. The NeoGeo got some mint games that year too...I don't think there's ever been a year quite like it, and don't think we'll ever see the likes of it again. It's too much of a business now.

[Concept]

Clearly 1998.

Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Gran Turismo and Half-Life all in one year amongst so many others. Arguably last generation's five defining games.

[butchcvc]

1991!

the 3 mario games on the nes still feeling fresh at that point.

having loads of copied commadore amiga games.

playing sonic the hedgehog on a imported mega drive.

saving my pocket money for the snes and reading about it in magazines.

going to dixons and playing new games in the nes cabinet.

[Kotatsu Neko]

I would vote for 2004!

OutRun 2
Metroid Prime 2
Halo 2
Half Life 2
Pikmin 2
KOTOR 2
Nintendo DS
Sawaru! Made in Wario
Mawaru! Made in Wario
Viewtiful Joe 2
Fable

Probably more I forgot. It was a truly great year!

1999 was another classic, the year of the Dreamcast - ShenMue 1, Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, Marvel vs Capcom, Sega Rally 2, Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur etc...

[Prine]

2004 also

[Ginger Tosser]

2004 - year of the sequel

[Resonance]

I also do think recent times have been really good. When we, in a few years time, look back with the nostalgia tinted spectacles we will see that 2004 really was a great year for gaming.

[Concept]

The past 10 years have been amazing when you think about it really. Classics released virtually every year.

Sometimes I think we're spoilt in terms of quality. Maybe not originality, but certainly quality these days.

[Tom Salter]

Ocarina of Time in 1998 is reason enough for me to recommend that year. It's one game I've fell in love with and will play it through without question.

[dataDave]

1998.

SFIII: Giant Attack
MSHvSF
Metal Slug 2
Real Bout 2
KoF '98
F-Zero X
Body Harvest
Banjo Kazooie
Ocarina of Time
1080
Xenogears
FF Tactics
MGS
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Half-Life
GT
(Resi 2 PAL)

1996 was a class year too. 2004 was a year riddled with weak pish. Metroid Prime 2 was the only good thing out of it, and of course Gradius V.

[VR46]

I would vote for 2004!

OutRun 2
Metroid Prime 2
Halo 2
Half Life 2
Pikmin 2
KOTOR 2
Nintendo DS
Sawaru! Made in Wario
Mawaru! Made in Wario
Viewtiful Joe 2
Fable

I agree, also Rallisport 2, Doom 3, RE4 (or was that 2005), Psyvariar 2, Gradius V, GTR.

The list goes on

[Kotatsu Neko]

I agree, also Rallisport 2, Doom 3, RE4 (or was that 2005), Psyvariar 2, Gradius V, GTR.

The list goes on

Forgot about Doom 3 and Gradius 5!

RE4 was 2005 though.

[TerryBogard]

even though my favourite game ever - ocarina of time was releases in 1998 im gonna have to say 1994......................

for a number of reasons
1, i'll never forget the exitement of the build up to the first 32 bit machines
watching the tv show "bad influence" and getting really exited, even the small fry like 3d0, jaguar, 32x etc were really exiting in the run up to xmas a few months before psx and saturn!

2,super metroid

3,ridge racer

4,donkey kong country(really big event in itself at the time)

5,seeing street fighter zero on the jap psone was utterly amazing(even though its technically not as good as the saturn version)
6, getting my first neo geo when sam spirits 2 was released(and being even more amazed).

So there you have it!!

[Kubrick]

Interesting responses, particularly about last year...

1998 would my second choice, but I also loved 1997 for GoldenEye, Gran Turismo (JP), Resident Evil 2 (31/12/97) & StarFox 64.

[Wools]

Gran Turismo
Ocarina Of Time
Half-Life
Metal Gear Solid
Tekken 3
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Radiant Silvergun
Resident Evil 2
1080 Snowboarding
Grand Prix Legends
Colin McRae Rally
Grim Fandango
Quake II

1998 is one of the best. The 3 little years the DC were around for was my favourite period in games though.