Best Years in Gaming

The end of the year approaches but really the gaming world ends around November time, and people have been referring to 2015 as one of the best years in gaming and i always think "Really?" I mean it was a good year, definitely better than 2014, but one of the best years ever? That's a pretty bold statement which got me thinking "What are the best years in gaming?" So that's exactly what we're going to be taking a look at today. Now keep in mind when i say best years in gaming i'm not just including years that had one or even two iconic games come out, but the year as a whole for variety, business practises and quantity of quality games.

1987
The first great year of gaming is...actually the only year i would refer to as dated. This year is remembered mostly for it's releases and the beginning of so many popular franchises. Metal Gear, Megaman and Final Fantasy were all introduced to the world this year. Though the reason why I say it's dated is because these games are not very good today in my opinion and all of the franchises have made better installments in later years. The Legend of Zelda was finally released in the US and Europe, the very first game ever to have a save feature and good god where would we be without that and Japan had just released The Legend of Zelda II, so yeah, big year for Zelda.

1992
1992 was the first true year of gaming (to not be dated) to have not just one iconic videogame franchise to be started, but three. Wolfenstein, Kirby and Mortal Kombat were all initially released in 1992 and these are franchises that are so popular that they are still going on today. Though Kirby's games aren't necessarily best sellers the character is one of Nintendo's most iconic and this is where he got his start. A similar deal for Wolfenstein, the initial game isn't talked about that much but MechaHitler is one of gaming's most iconic villains. It's also funny to think that Mortal Kombat was considered controversial and graphic back in the day, i mean it still is, but the idea of a videogame being controversial for this level of blood and gore is kind of silly with today's practise standards. Alone in the Dark also got it's release in this year though being honest this is a franchise that doesn't hold up particularly well, especially the original. Some already well established franchises that continued their success in this year was Sonic The Hedgehog 2 which is often considered by many to be the best of the franchise and Super Mario Kart, a franchise which still gets rehashed and released every couple of years. So overall this was a damn good year in terms of quanitity of games that stand the test of time and multiple franchises saw their birth in this year.

1994
A similar year to 1992 in terms of why it's one of the best but it expands it's roster even more. Donkey Kong, World of Warcraft and Tekken all saw their initial release in this year and i don't need to expand on the fact that they were successful games. Another franchise premiered in 1994 is System Shock, a series that isn't remembered for much now but many consider the stepping stones to a spiritual successor Bioshock, i'm sure you've heard of that franchise at least. As well as the arrival of Earthworm Jim, a cult classic  Then not one but two games which are considered to be two of the greatest videogames of all time got their release in this year, Super Metroid and Earthbound (Mother 2), Super Metroid is remembered for it's stellar gameplay and is often considered to be one of the best action games of all time, while Earthbound i honestly didn't think was anything special until that final level...seriously that's one of the most fucked up/disturbing final levels of a videogame ever, i freakin love it and so does everyone else apparently. Then there was Final Fantasy VI, not as popular as the next game in the FF franchise but still a beloved franchise.

1996
Tomb Raider, Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red/Blue, Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil. I don't think I need to explain anymore. Okay I guess I will, because this was the start of the 3D era in videogaming, true there were 3D games before...kinda, but the 64 bit era had begun and with it, gaming took a massive leap. The Playstation being released the prior year was getting major traction and well, i don't think i need to explain how far that took off.

1997
Geez, two great years in a row? Wow the 90's were spoiled with great games. This year saw Final Fantasy VII, to this day considered one of the greatest videogames of all time, certainly the best in the FF franchise...i've never played it so...i don't know if it holds up. This also saw the release of GoldenEye 007, one of the best movie videogames of all time (Even if i personally think it's overrated) and is still played by thousands all over the world. Star Fox 64 got it's release and is a game that holds a significant place in pop culture, after all, what gamer hasn't heard the phrase "Do a barrel roll!". Cult classics Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and PaRappa The Rapper, while not beloved at first have received more attention over time. Finally the famous racing franchise Gran Turismo dawned its head around this time (In Japan). Overall this was a very diverse year in gaming and in my opinion is one of the best.

1998
Ya know, i don't look ahead when writing up these lists, but hot damn the late 90's were on a role! Again, this is a year of both iconic franchises and cult classics of a wide variety of genres to the point where i'm not even gonna give detail, just list them off, they speak for themselves. Keep in mind, i obviously haven't played all of these, but i am aware of their success atleast. Banjo Kazooie, MediEvil, Metal Gear Solid, Grim Fandango, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Half-Life, Sonic Adventure, Spyro the Dragon and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 3 of these are considered some of the greatest games of all time, and they all came out in the same year. Jeez, i wonder if '99 will be just as good.

1999
Hot diggity damn! They did it again! Super Smash Bros & Mario Party sailed Nintendo through a good year, Silent Hill and Ape Escape gave Playstation a good year and finally we saw Tony Hawk Pro Skater hit the airwaves, does that saying still work in this context? So yeah, less than other years but damn if it still wasn't another great year. By the way, if you've never played Ape Escape: Play it!

Ya know what, there are so many good years for videogames that i'm gonna have to split this off into two parts and some time soon i'll talk about the 2000's of gaming.

-Danny