Let's discuss how 1998-2002 was the Golden Age of Gaming

[Pike]

1998


Panzer Dragoon Saga
StarCraft
Banjo-Kazooie
Metal Gear Solid
Spyro the Dragon
Pokemon Red & Blue
Grim Fandango
Half-Life
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Baldur’s Gate
Suikoden II



1999


SimCity 3000
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Roller Coaster Tycoon
Super Smash Bros
System Shock 2
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
Jet Force Gemini
Sonic Adventure
Planescape: Torment



2000


The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Perfect Dark
Deus Ex
Diablo II
Jet Set Radio
Pokemon Stadium
Baldur’s Gate II
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Banjo-Tooie
Pokemon Gold/Silver



2001


Sonic Adventure 2
Final Fantasy X
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Ico
Silent Hill 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
Halo
Super Smash Bros: Melee



2002


Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Neverwinter Nights
Warcraft III
Medieval: Total War
TimeSplitters 2
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Sly Cooper
Ratchet & Clank
Metroid Prime
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker


:love:

[Laddy]

Final Fantasy IX, Might & Magic VI & VII, Chrono Cross, Legend of Dragoon, Skies of Arcadia too. <3

[Pike]

I figured I probably missed some!

[Laddy]

It doesn't matter because the list so awesome anyway I love you Pike you have awesome taste. <3

[escobert]

NWN and D2 were the only games on that list I ever bothered really playing.

[Pike]

NWN and D2 were the only games on that list I ever bothered really playing.

Bro

We need to remedy this ASAP.

Laddy, our new divine mission is to make sure everyone has a chance to experience the Golden Age.

[DMKA]

NWN and D2 were the only games on that list I ever bothered really playing.

Bro

We need to remedy this ASAP.

Laddy, our new divine mission is to make sure everyone has a chance to experience the Golden Age.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those boring WRPGs like Morrowind and Oblivion?

That's why I never bothered with them either.

[Pike]

NWN and D2 were the only games on that list I ever bothered really playing.

Bro

We need to remedy this ASAP.

Laddy, our new divine mission is to make sure everyone has a chance to experience the Golden Age.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those boring WRPGs like Morrowind and Oblivion?

I fixed your sentence for you brah. :quina:

[Quindiana Jones]

Gonna go buy Medieval... TOTAL. WAR. now, okay? I know that I should prefer Rome and Medieval 2, but the first has a special, somewhat moist, place in my heart. :love:

That place is filled with Feudal Foot Knights and Gallowglasses.

[escobert]

NWN and D2 were the only games on that list I ever bothered really playing.

Bro

We need to remedy this ASAP.

Laddy, our new divine mission is to make sure everyone has a chance to experience the Golden Age.

Oh I forgot I played Sim City 3000.

I don't play consoles so theres a large chance I'll never play most of these games :p

Ok so I have played some of Suikoden II ( I do like these games)
Played Zelda Ocarina of Time
Star Craft
Balders Gate 1 & 2
Morrowind
and GTA VC

[Pike]

I tried to keep my list a healthy mix of console and PC titles. I know through the years I've gone through more console-heavy phases and then more PC-heavy phases.

Anyways everyone is welcome to add to the list :D

[Aulayna]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/SSX_box_art.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/DMClogo.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Dark_Cloud_PS2_Game_cover.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Spyro_the_Dragon.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Soulcalibur.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6a/Metalgear2boxart.jpg

To name a few.

[Del Murder]

With all the history and systems that came before it, I wouldn't call that the Golden Age. Maybe the Silver Age. Or even Bronze Age. A Golden Age that does not even include the NES or SNES is just silly.

For me the Golden Age was during the early 90s with the Sega vs. Nintendo console wars. I guess if you were born in the early 90s then you wouldn't think so. But Pike you're an old fart like me so you have no excuse!

There were certainly some great games released during 1998-2003 though.

[Old Manus]

The Golden Age of Gaming: [The year I started playing games] - [5 years after that] RIP

I agree with Pike though. 98 and 99 had some seriously boss vidya. You forgot Resident Evil 2 in 1998 though which imo is still the horror GOAT.

[Pike]

For me the Golden Age was during the early 90s with the Sega vs. Nintendo console wars. I guess if you were born in the early 90s then you wouldn't think so. But Pike you're an old fart like me so you have no excuse!

I agree that the SNES/Genesis era was absolutely fantastic but ultimately it comes down to how when I list my top 20 favorite games or so, more of them come out of 1998-2002 than come out of mid-90s.

P.S. Aul, I mentioned Spyro! :colbert:

[Aulayna]

I started gaming at the dawn of the 16-bit era but will happilly consider the quoted period of the thread to be the best in gaming so far.

The 8-bit and 16-bit and early 32-bit eras had some stellar titles but given relatively cheap development costs there was also a substantial amount of chaff around too. For me 1998 onward was the time when developers started combining and refining lessons learned from the early 32-bit era with great artistic style, narrative, gameplay direction and elements, multiplayer functionality (in some titles) and other things into complete packages where technical limitations were becoming less of a constraint.

That's not to say the NES/SNES era wasn't without it's gems because there were some absolutely amazing games from that era but games making in general was still relatively new then and most of those stellar of titles were ahead of their time so to speak and a quality whole was few and far between.

[Night Fury]

Shenmu.

[Madame Adequate]

Shenmu.

Tara, darling. I may have been too quick to judge you based solely on being northern. Let's get dinner sometime.

Anyway I started gaming in like 1988 (Well, probably earlier and I just can't remember), and I've been through everything since then, and there's little doubt in my mind that something around the dates Pike has given are pretty much the best years this medium's ever had. If you look at Pike's list and then say there's a better period, you better have a darned good list to back that up! Also everything Aulayna said in both her posts, but especially Soul Calibur and ESPECIALLY especially SSX.

If someone said "You can only ever play games from 1998-2002" then I don't think I'd be that bothered because SO MUCH GOOD SHIT came out then. I can't really think of any other period that's the same.

[Sephex]

I enjoy games from when I started to play in the midish-late 80s to today. Granted, my favorite ones are mostly 16 bit titles, but still. I think people sometimes let nostalgia cloud their judgement a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, I love looking back at my past, cracking a smile, and booting up an old game as much as the next person.

However, I have come to realize that for every game that I love to this day as much as I did when it came out decades ago (or even more), there are many others that just aren't for me because they are a product of their time, or that my personal tastes have changed.

That said Pike made a good list, as well as titles other people have said.

[Del Murder]

If you look at Pike's list and then say there's a better period, you better have a darned good list to back that up!
Maybe someday I will have the time or desire to do this. You win for now, Golden Playstation Era!

[Aulayna]

To be fair I'd probably extend the timeframe to include up to 2004 too for the likes of Dark Chronicle, SSX3, Lost Kingdoms 2, Mario Kart Double Dash, XIII, Viewtiful Joe and the masterpiece of Soul Calibur II. Notably most of those are sequels though.

[Bolivar]

I guess it's all personal tastes and how many years you're allowing yourself to have.

It's easier to list a golden age of genres. Some games today are better than their predecessors ever were, but others have had their time pass. I'll take a Killzone 2 No-HUD playthrough anyday over Goldeneye 007, but I couldn't be asked to boot up Castle Crashers again when I already have Streets of Rage I-III in HD ready to go.

[Levian]

Definitely a strong era, and many of my all-time favorite games are from those years. :D
Awesomeness.

although, not having much of a problem mentioning equal amount of greatness in other years:

1997


Goldeneye
Final Fantasy VII
Grandia
Star Fox 64
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Diddy Kong Racing
Age of Empires
Mario Kart 64
Tomb Raider 2
Carmageddon
Clock Tower PSX (it's an awful awful game, but I love it like I'd love my own (adopted amputee) son.)



1996


Super Mario 64
Tekken 2
Tomb Raider
Civilization II
Super Mario RPG
Resident Evil
Kirby Super Star
Donkey Kong Country 3
Crash Bandicoot
Diablo/Quake/Suikoden (aka games i haven't played but will get killed for not mentioning)



1995


Chrono Trigger
Yoshi's Island
Warcraft II
Seiken Densetsu 3
Worms
Donkey Kong Country 2
Myst
Megaman X2/Megaman 7
Rayman
Tekken


Some honorable mentions goes out to games that probably weren't made of gold, but in the eyes of a young and hopeful Levian, definitely sparkled in gold: gabriel knight, 11th hour, alone in the dark 3, addams family values, mighty max, mighty morphin' power rangers, twisted metal, ridge racer, battle arena toshinden, leisure suit larry 7: love for sail, gex, megaman x3, pandemonium, lost vikings 2, harvest moon.

thx for the childhood

[Wolf Kanno]

I'd say the 90s in general were the golden age, there was a lot more experimentation with technology, a lot of genres either were founded or sorting out what they were going to be (I mean the 90s was the decade to really establish what we all see as RPGs both East and West) and later console generations are just trying to emulate it like the console wars or battling over exclusives like the old Mario vs. Sonic or which console had the better version of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. I just feel that the decade really emphasized a blossoming of interesting ideas and it was one of the more exciting times to be a gamer cause the medium transformed a lot.

[Rostum]

Ah one year earlier and you could have mentioned Riven, which is absolutely beautiful!

Also, props for mentioning Grim Fandango. One of my favorite games of all time. :) Otherwise, I think the list is excellent. Ah the 90's and early 2000's, was a time of greatness in games.

[escobert]

I tried to keep my list a healthy mix of console and PC titles. I know through the years I've gone through more console-heavy phases and then more PC-heavy phases.

My borthers wouldn't allow me to play console games with them so I was always stuck downstairs on the Mac.

[Sephex]

Z6EuqfanwAM

This guy get's it.

[Denmark]

My personal Golden Age Of Gaming would be 1991-1996. But I'm a SNES fanboy. Bias bias bias bias bias

i might extend it to 1998 to include OoT, Banjo, and Pokemonz

[Shoeberto]

I'd say the 90s in general were the golden age, there was a lot more experimentation with technology, a lot of genres either were founded or sorting out what they were going to be (I mean the 90s was the decade to really establish what we all see as RPGs both East and West) and later console generations are just trying to emulate it like the console wars or battling over exclusives like the old Mario vs. Sonic or which console had the better version of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. I just feel that the decade really emphasized a blossoming of interesting ideas and it was one of the more exciting times to be a gamer cause the medium transformed a lot.
Agreed. There was a LOT of new and evolving tech in the time period and development costs were significantly cheaper than they are today so there was a lot more room for experimentation. This was the decade that gave us the jump from cartridges to CD, high-res 2D graphics leading to full 3D, enough storage space for voice acting and full-motion video. I think the tide of awesome developments really held up through the early 2000s but the scene has changed a lot - bigger budgets, more mainstream appeal. Not to say that amazing stuff isn't released, it just doesn't get the same kind of press as the blockbusters which are pretty hit-or-miss.

I'm super nostalgic for the period Pike's talking about though because it is right around when I started gaming seriously and I just remember hit after hit of great games that really experimented. I haven't gotten excited about a release cycle in the same way as that for some time, which likely has a lot to do with me growing up, but also due to how damn predictable it's all become. A new Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed released in October/November NO WAY

[Loony BoB]

The Golden Age for me is the time when gaming boomed significantly, perhaps around 1996 through to 2001. In that time, the biggest advancements were made in most genres and game design in general which for the most part are just rehashed over and over today.

1996
Resident Evil
Super Mario 64
Civilization II
Duke Nukem 3D
Pokémon Red and Green
Super Mario RPG
Quake
Star Ocean
Crash Bandicoot
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Tomb Raider
Diablo
Mario Kart 64

1997
GoldenEye 007
Final Fantasy VII
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
PaRappa the Rapper
Ultima Online
Fallout
Grand Theft Auto
Age of Empires
Riven
Colony Wars
The Curse of Monkey Island
Gran Turismo

So, yeah. Beats the 2001-2002 stuff too easily. I know you love your Morrowind but it can't carry the rest of the titles in your 2002 list to beat the 1997 list. 2001 could give 1996 a run for it's money, but I think due to most of the games on that list being sequels while almost every game in the 1996 list were originals says that 1996 wins.

EDIT: And I was beaten to it by Lev. :monster: Reading his list, I agree that 1995 easily beats 2000, too. So, 1995-1999 for me, if we're going by five year intervals. 1995 also featured Suikoden, Time Crisis, Destruction Derby, Command & Conquer, EarthBound and Descent.

[Pike]

Whilst you guys have posted strong lists I still maintain that my original list is stronger. I say this as someone who has been gaming since 1986 or something.

Unfortunately this all boils down to ~opinions~, so.

[Raistlin]

I would have to agree with others that 97, at least, should be included in any Golden Era. FF7, FFT (though '98 for US release, I believe), Ultima Online, and some of the best N64 games. I would certainly rank that year higher than 2001 and maybe even 2000, though it's hard to argue against the inclusion of 2000 and 2002.

[Bolivar]

You know, I remember when GameTrailers released one of their top ten installments, this one about years in gaming, and 2007 was at the top of the list, a sentiment many other mainstream journalists like N'Gai Croal and Kotaku reiterated.

I'm guessing we're at least in consensus that such is BS, right?

[NeoCracker]

You know, I remember when GameTrailers released one of their top ten installments, this one about years in gaming, and 2007 was at the top of the list, a sentiment many other mainstream journalists like N'Gai Croal and Kotaku reiterated.

I'm guessing we're at least in consensus that such is BS, right?

Well, lets see...


Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justis For All
Rogue Galaxy
FF VI Advance
Shin Megami Tensai: Persona 3
Wild Arms 5
Eternal Sonata
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
Beautiful Katamari
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations



Elder Scrolls: Shimmering Isles Expansion
Bioshock
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Dragon Quest Monster: Joker
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
Mass Effect


Assassin's Creed

I don't agree it's the best year, but I think 2007 can make a pretty solid case for itself. :p

[Raistlin]

I disagree. Out of the "games you liked" section, two of the best ones were remakes. :p

Out of the ones you mentioned, 2007 really has Bioshock and Mass Effect -- which by themselves really can't carry the year, especially compared with the sheer amount of awesome games from the late '90s. Assassin's Creed is notable as the start of the series, but not one I would herald as a game great enough to make the entire year notable.

[NeoCracker]

Well considering one of the Two Remakes is pretty much the greatest version of Tactics due to it's brilliant script, I say poo on you sir!

Besides, as I said I don't quite agree with it, just that a good argument could be made. ;P

[Loony BoB]

Yes, I would agree that 2007 being the best year ever for gaming is utter crap. However, for what it's worth, there are a lot of games that were not on your list...
MotorStorm
God of War II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero III
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Blue Dragon
Heavenly Sword
Eternal Sonata
Halo 3
Portal (and Team Fortress 2?)
The Witcher
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Super Mario Galaxy
Crysis

I would say that people argue for it being the best year ever are probably thinking mostly of BioShock, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, CoD4, Portal, God of War II, Crysis and Halo 3.

It was certainly one of the best if not the best year for gaming in this generation of consoles.

[Pike]

You know honestly I think I really meant that 98-02 was the Golden Age of PC Gaming and for consoles I'd move it up a bit closer to the mid-90s.

[Loony BoB]

I think I would agree with that, yeah.

[Slothy]

Guitar Hero II

Nitpicking a bit but Guitar Hero 2 was 2006. And since Guitar Hero 3 is really where the series kind of died for me (first game not made by Harmonix, less enjoyable track listing than GH1&2, didn't even try and build on the formula that was already getting a bit stale with the yearly releases, etc.), I don't think I'd list it in the plus column for 2007.

[Loony BoB]

Ah, it got released in 2007 for the Xbox 360, apparently. Was just going by Wikipedia's 2007 releases list. :p

[Slothy]

Ah yes, I forgot about that actually. Strangely enough, while I didn't really care for the game, I believe the 360 version had the best guitar controller variant in the series, at least until that point.

[Shoeberto]

2007 definitely was a pretty fantastic year - I forgot so many heavy hitters came out. That was my first year at college and I didn't keep up as much but I remember constantly reading release hype and hearing people in the dorms talk about all the awesome games coming out. I think that could be why recent years have seemed to suck so much in comparison, since most of the amazing current-gen games that came out then have been sequelized to hell and back with relatively few new and interesting IPs coming out since.

[Bolivar]

Another big one they mentioned was Rock Band.

But I think the 2007 assertion was a bit overhyped, even for this generation. A lot of those games were overrated, some were just ok, and a few just weren't as good as their successors. Uncharted, Assassin's Creed and Modern Warfare each had sequels that were blissfully superior (and also came out in the same year with eachother).