5. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (August 31, 1999) - PS

While the genre may feel bloated now, remember that in 1999, this was the first game of it's kind. Tony Hawk Pro Skater opened up a new world to plenty of non-skating gamers. Suddenly, people knew what an Indy was and just how impressive it was for Hawk to pull off a 900. With its massive amount of goals and cool secrets hidden in each of it's many courses, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was a truly big game that appealed to more than just skate fans. For a game to do that is truly impressive.

4. Rayman 2: The Great Escape (October 31, 1999) - N64

After Rayman, the first game in the series, people knew and enjoyed the character but desperately craved more from the massively overdone 2D platforming genre. Now that technology was advanced enough, Ubisoft was able to give the fans what they wanted. Rayman 2: The Great Escape was released to truly show what 3D platformers could do. Throw together a great, surreal world and an actually pretty exciting plot with that original Rayman charm and it would have been difficult for Ubisoft to screw up. Even today, after Rayman's clear downfall into subpar mini-game mash-ups, Rayman 2: The Great Escape remains an incredible testament to how fun platformers can be.

3. System Shock 2 (July 31, 1999) - PC

After the original was held down by untrue rumors about what kind of game it was, System Shock 2 was released to the public, ready and able to show the world what kind of game it really was. Similar to the original Deus Ex, System Shock 2 is an FPS at first glance but it has heavy RPG influences. While reviews were sometimes subpar for System Shock 2, I can cheat and know now just how much of a classic the game truly was. If you doubt that System Shock 2 belongs on this list, just look at what came out of the series: Bioshock, one of the best 360/PS3 games out there. OWNED!

2. FreeSpace 2 (September 30, 1999) - PC

FreeSpace came at a time when spaceship sims were dominated by one of the few good Star Wars series in existence: Star Wars: X-wing. Wing Commander also was dominating the genre but then FreeSpace came in and blasted it wide open. Its sequel had a lot to live up to and it more than managed. Awarded with several 'Game of the Year' awards and respected as one of the best games in the genre, FreeSpace 2 really showed the world what a good story can do for a game. While the gameplay and graphics are spectacular, the storyline is very deep and dark for its time. Many people played the game simply to hear the story behind it, a very rare thing for 1999. Overall, it would have been the game of the year for me if it weren't for....

Katosepe's Game of the Year Award: 1999

1. Final Fantasy VIII (September 7, 1999) - PS

In my opinion, Final Fantasy VIII is the best game in the series and even most Final Fantasy VII fans, VIII comes in at a close second. A gigantic quest spanning four disks, amazing characters, stunning graphics and one of the best storylines ever made this an obvious winner for Game of the Year. I know this is a short description but I don't think it really needs all that much of a recommendation for me. If you don't know about the game already, you need to crawl out from under your rock and find a copy. There is a PC port available but I would only recommend it if you absolutely cannot get the original PS version. I've played both and, to be honest, the port feels like a bad emulation, even giving you tutorials with the Playstation controls. However, if you do not have any Playstation console, I highly recommend you buy it to experience the greatness for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Katosepe's Console of the Year Award: 1999 - PC

Truly dominating this year, the PC had seven of the ten games that won (Rayman 2: The Great Escape was also released for the PC at the same time) not counting Final Fantasy VIII's port which was significantly worse. To explain this unusual event, 1999 was nearing the end of the Playstation and Nintendo 64 while the Dreamcast had only just come into play with very few good games. Not to undermine the PC's success however, it had an absolutely amazing run, filled to the brim with great games of all genres. 1999 truly was a glorious year for the PC.

Honorable Mentions:

•· Worms Armageddon (May 31, 1999) - PC

•· Little Fighter 2 (???????, 1999) - PC

•· Planescape: Torment (November 30, 1999) - PC

•· Final Fantasy Anthology (September 30, 1999) - PS

I hope you enjoyed looking back at these great games from the past! Look forward to 2000 tomorrow!

Currently Listening To: More Than A Feeling - Boston - 1976