Was 1998 the best year in gaming?

Stalker is not a dudebro fps

@scottpsfan14:

I agree, but at the time, it was the only FPS and it pushed the graphics of video games. Nothing else in any genre looked like it at the time. I was awestruck when I first saw it.

It was the year in NHL 99, I went something like 76-4-2 on the highest difficulty, and never lost a single head to head with buds. My high point, no doubt in video game hockey. As for Best year in history, I don't know. I also drank a lot then.

While I won't agree to a specific year, I do agree that the 90's was probably the best time to be a gamer IMO. Especially on PC.

Yes, even better than the PS2 era.

I liked 1997 more.

Nice catch. The date I saw was Japan's release date. I'll update the OP!

Well Doom had blood and head shots! :P

Ah, you deleted.

TIE Fighter

X-Wing vs TIE Fighter

Baldurs Gate 1/2

Planescape Torment

Fallout 1/2

Master of Orion 1/2

Dark Forces 1/2

XCOM Trilogy (admittedly the first one was on PS1)

Arcana

Lucasarts point and click adventures

Deus Ex

System Shock

Just to name a few.............

I forgot to add Blood and Duke Nukem 3D to that list.

Have to go with 2011 or even 2004

Damn, I was that young when RE2 launched!? Damn time flys lol. I wanted that game sooo badly back then; I had to convince my older brother to buy it for me since it was rated M. lol

I like 1994 better for Castlevania: Bloodlines, Contra: Hard Corps, Crusader of Centy, Grind Stormer (Genesis version), Maximum Carnage, Mega Turrican, Mega Man X (US release date), Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Streets of Rage 3, Sparkster (both versions), Super Metroid, Tie Fighter, Virtua Racing (Genesis version), and Wing Commander III.

'98 does have Panzer Dragoon Saga, Ocarina of Time, and pokemon, so I give credit for those. I was too enamored by Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight and X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter to give a shit about any other PC games at the time, and I'm more of an Age of Empires/Age of Mythology kind of guy than a Starcraft one.

For me it was PC gaming from 96-2001.

Half Life, Quake. Quake 2, Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, Age of Empires II, ect

The list goes on, PC gaming was solid back then.

Damn, I think I'll replay xenogears.

That game was just so good. Why can't monolith make anything that awesome anymore :(

Instead they got stuck making a game that's basically a mystery at this point for the WiiU.

The WiiU... yeah, not a ringing endorsement.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 2001

1st off the game cube and xbox both launched. then there were the games like

Halo, GTA3, Luigi's mansion, balders gate, wolfenstien, DOA3, PGR, MGS2, DMC, Silent hill 2

2011 was. The year we got Modern Warfare 3.

2001 wasn't bad either. here's some, but not all notable releases

• FFX
• GTA III
• Halo
• MGS2
• Max Payne
• Silent Hill 2
• Conker
• Jak and Daxter
• Smash Bros Melee
• ICO
• DMC

Pokemon is better with diverseness. 700+ is way too good for competitiveness. I am a Pokemon veteran and I hope they make Gen & like what they did with Gen 5. A complete set of new Pokemon.

@SNIPER4321:

Not sure why I have to keep telling you about the damn name. Oh right, it's SNIPER the brick wall.

I think you can get Xenogears off PSN for like $10 now, maybe even cheaper. I remember a few years trying to get a physical copy and people selling it for at least $50/$60.

In 90s console and pcgaming were very different. But yes, PC line-up from that decade easily matches what consoles produced. Both markets just aimed at wildly different audiences and genres.

Best year in gaming is a cluster to come up with. Worst year on the other hand is easy as pie (Sup 2012).

1998? Sure. Banner Year for the PC, especially

IGN's List sums it up

Half Life, Unreal, Thief: The Dark Project

Grim Fandango, Sanitarium

Baldur's Gate

European Air War, Falcon 4.0, Jane's WW2 Fighters

Star Craft, Close Combat 3

Star Siege: Tribes

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

Railroad Tycoon II

Final Fantasy VII

It was one of the best.

2005 was better.

• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
• Resident Evil 4
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
• Star Fox Assault
• Gran Turismo 4
• Tekken 5
• Star Wars: Republic Commando
• Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
• Timesplitters: Future Perfect
• God of War
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
• Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
• Jade Empire
• Psychonauts
• Guild Wars
• Battlefield 2
• killer7
• Nintendogs
• Indigo Prophecy
• Ninja Gaiden Black
• Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
• Serious Sam II
• F.E.A.R.
• Quake 4
• Age of Empires III
• Shadow of the Colossus
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
• Call of Duty 2
• Civilization IV
• Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Guitar Hero
• Mario Kart DS
• Condemned: Criminal Origins
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
• Super Mario Strikers

@SolidGame_basic: could be, my favorite game ever metal gear solid released then. before that all I knew from gaming was mario and colorful mushrooms.

I dunno. Thing is I wouldn't want to replay a single one of those games tbh.

I agree with you on that

looking through the list of 98 its flippin quality i agree. I liked these 08-9 years too,as it made a comeback for PS3 which was the defining console of last gen. LBP was an amazing experience,30v30 in resistance2,UC2 dominating awards ,some boundaries were broken well in those years.

Overall just enjoy gaming

It's the gaming year of 2001 for me.

1998 and 2005 are good runners up. I've had this discussion about a dozen times on SW, but I just wanted to rep 2001. Great year.

I'll will post some 2001 games, but there is more than I'm going to list:

• Metal Gear Solid 2
• Onimusha
• Max Payne
• Super Smash Bros. Melee
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance
• Zone of the Enders
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
• Twisted Metal: BLACK
• Dark Age of Camelot
• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
• F-Zero Maximum Velocity
• Black & White
• Bejeweled
• Runescape
• Legend of Zelda : Oracle Seasons/Ages
• Tribes 2
• Golden Sun
• SSX Tricky
• IL-2 Sturmovik
• Stronghold
• Civilization 3
• Paper Mario
• Klonoa 2
• Red Faction
• Gran Turismo 3
• Advance Wars
• Pikmin
• Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
• Project Gotham Racing
• Dead Or Alive 3
• Pokemon Crystal
• Luigi's Mansion
• Halo
• Devil May Cry
• Silent Hill 2
• Conker's Bad Fur Day
• Jak and Daxter
• Empire Earth
• ICO
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
• Dragon Warrior 7
• Grand Theft Auto 3
• Aliens versus Predator 2

@SolidGame_basic:

I'm not sure when the Dreamcast originally launched in Japan. But as far as when it launched in the USA I would say the best year for gaming in the USA was 1999.

1994 was an awesome year too.

2007? do you really enjoy those games that much? on your list i only enjoyed Stalker but not that much. i give it a 8/10

Yea, those games aren't quite as legendary as many in the OP

If anything, old times are when gaming was at its best.

Modern gaming sucks. It's rare for developers these days to put out a decent game that isn't geared for the widest audience as possible. Splinter Cell, Hitman and Tomb Raider are victims of casualisation, just 3 games off the top of my head.

im gonna go out on a limb and say YES!

I would still say 2007 was my favourite year on game releases

A good year, but 2005 and 2008 really come to mind. Funny though, we've never really had many bad years. 2012 was pretty shitty.

04 for me

Thank God for the PSN Store. I bought Xenogears for 10 bucks for my PSP. Excellent game even in spite of that god awful platforming it forces you to do.