Best Year for Games

[Fynn]

You know people, it doesn't necessarily have to be the year you experienced it. As long as the game released that year, I honestly don't care if you played it ten years later.

Well, yeah, but it still colors your perception of that game or that year. Like, let's say there was a year - say 2012 - you played a bunch of games that you loved, Some were released in 1997, one is from 1985, and then there's three from 2010 and one from 2012. The most awesome game from that bunch to you was the 1997 one, so you'd obviously say 1997 is the best, right? But it turns out there are no other cool games for you from that year, and you know like only one or two games from every other year, and still you feel like 2012 was great to you because you played all those games.

I don't mean to derail this thread, but this just explains my way of thinking in this regard, and why it may be hard to decide on one specific year

[Formalhaut]

You know people, it doesn't necessarily have to be the year you experienced it. As long as the game released that year, I honestly don't care if you played it ten years later.

Well, yeah, but it still colors your perception of that game or that year. Like, let's say there was a year - say 2012 - you played a bunch of games that you loved, Some were released in 1997, one is from 1985, and then there's three from 2010 and one from 2012. The most awesome game from that bunch to you was the 1997 one, so you'd obviously say 1997 is the best, right? But it turns out there are no other cool games for you from that year, and you know like only one or two games from every other year, and still you feel like 2012 was great to you because you played all those games.

I don't mean to derail this thread, but this just explains my way of thinking in this regard, and why it may be hard to decide on one specific year

Pretty much this for me as well. I mean, if I combed through a list of all the release dates for all the major games, I could (after some time) figure out which year had the most amount of games which I would like to approve of. I'd still say that I'd rather choose the year I played the games as the more obvious 'my year of gaming'. I only really started following video game releases for series I'm interested in since 2012 anyway. I haven't a clue when most games were released.

[Pike]

Not sure if I can narrow it down to just one year but if I was going to pick an era for best PC games I'd say 1998-2002ish. SMAC, Starcraft, Deus Ex, Morrowind, all soooorts of good stuff. Actually seeing as those are my four favorite games of all time, well.

For console games I'd probably go with mid-90s? But that might be the nostalgia talking.

[Madame Adequate]

Not sure if I can narrow it down to just one year but if I was going to pick an era for best PC games I'd say 1998-2002ish. SMAC, Starcraft, Deus Ex, Morrowind, all soooorts of good stuff. Actually seeing as those are my four favorite games of all time, well.

For console games I'd probably go with mid-90s? But that might be the nostalgia talking.

Baldur's Gate 1 + 2, Red Alert 2, Fallout 2, Grim Fandango, Thief, Planescape: Torment, Diablo 2, Age of Empires 2, Homeworld, Rollercoaster Tycoon, No One Lives Forever, System Shock 2, Freespace 2, The Sims, Warcraft 3, the list goes on.

[Bright Shield]

2000, followed by 1998.

[TheKeybasHKey]

2011 beacuse Skylanders and Pokémon Black and White Version and don't forget The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword.

[Loony BoB]

This is so freaking hard, because

1996
Resident Evil - PSX, 1996
The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis - PC, 1996
Mario Kart 64 - N64, 1996
Civilization II - PC, 1996
Crash Bandicoot - PSX, 1996
Pokémon Red & Blue (JP release)

1997
Final Fantasy VII - PSX, 1997
Age of Empires - PC, 1997
GoldenEye 007 - N64, 1997
Grandia - PSX, 1997
Alundra - PSX, 1997
Worms 2 - PC, 1997
Crash Bandicoot 2 - PSX, 1997

1999
The Longest Journey - PC, 1999
Final Fantasy VIII - PSX, 1999
Warzone 2100 - PSX, 1999
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - PC, 1999
Pokémon Red & Blue (PAL release)

2002
Warcraft III - PC, 2002
The Mark of Kri - PS2, 2002
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - PC, 2002
Gothic II - PC, 2002
TimeSplitters 2 - PS2, 2002

2006
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress - PC, 2006
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey - PC, 2006
Final Fantasy XII - PS2, 2006
Resistance: Fall of Man - PS3, 2006
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - PC, 2006

2007
Mass Effect - 360, 2007
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - PS3, 2007
Halo 3 - 360, 2007
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - PSP, 2007
Crysis - PC, 2007
Lost Odyssey - 360, 2007

2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3, 2009
Flower - PS3, 2009
Final Fantasy XIII - PS3, 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum - PS3, 2009
The Sims 3 - PC, 2009
Football Manager 2010 - PC, 2009

2012
Far Cry 3 - PS3, 2012
Journey - PS3, 2012
Frog Fractions - PC, 2012
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - PC, 2012
Mass Effect 3 - 360, 2012
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - PS3, 2012

Weirdly, and to my surprise, I'm thinking 1999 or 2012 might edge it. 2007's a good shout, too. It surprises me particularly how few of my absolute favourite games came out in a single year in the mid-90's. However, overall, 1996-2001 remains the most consistently awesome period of gaming for me.

[Ayen]

Not sure if I can narrow it down to just one year but if I was going to pick an era for best PC games I'd say 1998-2002ish. SMAC, Starcraft, Deus Ex, Morrowind, all soooorts of good stuff. Actually seeing as those are my four favorite games of all time, well.

For console games I'd probably go with mid-90s? But that might be the nostalgia talking.

I forgot StarCraft also came out in 98.

Yeah, I'm sticking with that year.

[Old Manus]

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis - PC, 1996

bruh

[Loony BoB]

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis - PC, 1996

bruh

inorite, epic

[Sephex]

just gonna burn the whole thing down. stare at the ashes and never look back

[Rocket Edge]

1999 in my opinion, for the games people already mentioned. Dungeon Keeper 2, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Warzone 2100, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, Age of Empires II, Syphon Filter, were also released that year and those are just the games of the top of my head.

[FFNut]

Really I can't decide. To many good games around. Loony BoB gave a great list where you go ohh snap that year, then you continue looking and it ohh no that one. For me I have no clue.