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Topic: What is your favorite year in gaming?

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kkslider5552000

Just a random thread I thought of. For some reason, people (like me) like arbitrarily defining where media/entertainment/art is per year, as if each year is somehow fundamentally different from each other despite every January 1st being right next to every December 31st. So with that in mind, which year do you think was just the best? Either for you specifically when that year was happening, or just the games that happened to come out within that 365 day period.

For me, I always go towards 2003. Because I was 12 (for most of it) and thus nothing will ever be as good again. I could end it there, but seriously, in terms of that generation of consoles, I absolutely remember 2003 being the peak. I don't know how much that was true outside of my Nintendo bubble. But at the time, GCN and GBA were both getting so much of its best games. And whenever me and my brother got a game, it was almost always just...really good. Like even games you wouldn't necessarily expect going into them like...Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom or The Haunted Mansion. But between Warioware, the improvements (for me at least) in Sonic Advance 2, Wind Waker and the super cool OOT bonus pre-order, Viewtiful Joe, Beyond Good and Evil, SSX 3, Tony Hawk's Underground, Rogue Squadron 3, the big racing trio on GCN and hidden gems like Astro Boy: Omega Factor and Freedom Fighters, nearly everything I played was just really good. Also, I finally got into Smash Melee (my most played game ever), was still playing Metroid Prime (my favorite game ever), still playing Sonic Mega Collection, still playing Super Monkey Ball 2 and getting Halo on PC (my 2nd most played game ever), so clearly it was the peak of my time spent gaming too.

On top of that, it was the first full year I had internet so I was getting into the online gaming community at the time. AND this was the time of X-Play when that was still on. So being more into the gaming culture I guess only added to everything else.

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porto

There was a Nintendolife article on this a while back. I’ll share the same thing I said there.

In the last decade, it would have to be 2019. Plenty of AAA titles, excuse me, GREAT titles that were incredibly unique and inspired.

porto

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Blooper987

@Apportal
Three houses
SSBU dlc
Dragon quest
Ace attorney
Shovel Knight dlc
A hat in time
SNES NSO
Astral Chain
SMM2

Safe to say it was an amazing year for me

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porto

@Blooper987 not to mention

  • Links Awakening remake
  • Luigi’s Mansion 3
  • NSMBU,
  • Mario and Sonic,
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance,
  • Yoshi’s Crafted World,
  • Tetris 99,
  • CTR,
  • Kirby Clash,
    and a lot of great small indie games like *Untitled Goose Game,
  • Yooka-Laylee,
  • Lucky’s Tale,
  • Baba Is You,
  • The Touryst,
    • Cuphead, or even
  • Hollow Knight.

Edited on by porto

porto

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Blooper987

@Apportal I ether haven’t picked those up or found them to only be ok. I’m hoping next year turns out to be like 2017/2019. It seems Nintendo is alternating in the amount of new stuff they release with other years having ports and remakes.

I notice you didn’t mention Pokémon sw/sh 😏

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Switch Friend Code: SW-0772-1845-0995

porto

Blooper987 wrote:

I notice you didn’t mention Pokémon sw/sh 😏

What’s that?

porto

Switch Friend Code: SW-2940-3286-4610 | My Nintendo: Pikmin4 | Twitter:

Blooper987

@Apportal I’m pretty sure the last games were ultra sun and ultra moon🤔. Which by the way were the best Pokémon games ever.

Let’s Go is fine but it needs to be a bit more polished and I think a let’s go johto would actually be great. As for the other ones. I played it for 30 minutes, got tired, sold it, and got clubhouse games. Best decision I’ve ever made

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Switch Friend Code: SW-0772-1845-0995

porto

@Blooper987 agreed about USUM. Never got into Pokémon, (and still not) but those two were the only ones I could play and not get bored. I never actually played Let’s Go!, I just felt like cracking a dumb joke. And yeah, I’m pretty sure plenty of people agree with you on how boring Pokémon games actually are, especially nowadays.

porto

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Blooper987

@Apportal my history with Pokémon is very interesting 😂 I played Smash and Lucario was always one of my favorite characters. My family had Netflix so I started watching the Black and White anime and I loved it. So I got Pokémon X at Walmart (the person who gave it to us was terrible btw🙄) I loved it. It was probably one of the first RPG’s I’ve been able to win. I then got Omega Ruby and it was a little underwhelming, it didn’t have the same quality story as X. Sun was then one of the first games I bought day 1 and won it pretty quickly. It was a blast and I still LOVE Lilly and Gladion (Hau can just leave he adds nothing)
I then stopped playing them until sword (which I was excited for) but ultimately it was a trashy game and the only Pokémon things I’ve seen that I think look good since are new snap and (I hope) detective Pikachu 2.

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skywake

2007
I mean for a start the Wii had just launched towards the end of 2006 and I picked up Twilight Princess after Christmas so that's how I started 2007. The Wii was my first home console since the SNES because I was late to the SNES, didn't get an N64, and before the Wii I was only into PC gaming and DS/Gameboy. And somehow I'd also never picked up a Zelda game. So good start to 2007 there already.

Then we hit E3 2007 which was the second E3 I actually tuned in to. I mean YouTube wasn't really a thing for E3 2005 and by E3 2006 it was still all pretty new. So E3 2007 was probably the first E3 that I was kinda invested in. And in 2007 we get Smash Bros and Mario Kart as the big announcements so I'd say it delivered. They didn't come out until 2008 but I think it's fair to say there was plenty of hype for it

Then for the tail end of the year we get Phantom Hourglass, which I thought (and still think) was fantastic. Super Mario Galaxy which shouldn't need much of an explanation. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl which I obsessed myself with. Then there was also Super Paper Mario and Metriod Prime 3 which were also fantastic as well as Zack & Wiki which I think most people have probably forgotten by now.

Also it was the year of Portal, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Crysis and Team Fortress 2

So yeah, 2007 by quite a margin IMO

Edited on by skywake

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Dezzy

Either 2007 or 2017

2007 had Mass Effect, Uncharted, Bioshock, The Orange Box, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed all in the same year. Probably most the influential group of games in any single year.

2017 had Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Splatoon 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted Lost Legacy, Nier Automata, Cuphead.
Mostly it's just the fact that we got Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey in the same year. 2 of the best games Nintendo have ever made.

Edited on by Dezzy

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Magician

'98 was a legendary year.

Resident Evil 2
Starcraft
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Half-Life
Xenogears
Grim Fandango
Tekken 3
Radiant Silvergun
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Baldur's Gate
Suikoden II
Metal Gear Solid

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Favorite Quote: "Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age the child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies." -Edna St. Vincent Millay

TheFrenchiestFry

2018 for me.

Spider-Man
God of War
Into the Breach
Celeste
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Octopath Traveler
Detroit Become Human
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Return of the Obra Dinn
The Messenger
Mega Man 11
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Soul Calibur VI
Valkyria Chronicles IV

That's not even counting the game announcements like Cyberpunk 2077's re-reveal at E3, Simon, Richter and Joker in Smash, the Resident Evil 2 Remake, Devil May Cry 5, or Elder Scrolls VI

Edited on by TheFrenchiestFry

TheFrenchiestFry

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Grumblevolcano

2014, you had:

DKC Tropical Freeze
MK8 (also the franchise's debut for DLC and the free game promotion)
Hyrule Warriors
Bayonetta 1+2 (though I didn't get around to playing it until Switch version in 2018)
Smash Wii U and 3DS
Captain Toad
Shovel Knight
NES Remix 2
GBA games for Wii U VC
Pokemon Gen 3 remakes

And plenty of others, not to mention one of Nintendo's best E3 years and lots of Nintendo Directs throughout the year. Can't say I miss the Smash 3DS demo code begging though, that was complete chaos

Grumblevolcano

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KryptoniteKrunch

Going with 2007 and 2017 as well.

2007 top 5: BioShock, Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box, Phantom Hourglass, Pokemon Diamond
2017 top 5: BotW, Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Skyrim Switch, Doom Switch

2013 and 2014 were good years for the 3DS and Wii U respectively. Going farther back, 98 wins, the trifecta of OoT, Re2 and Half Life is great.

Edited on by KryptoniteKrunch

KryptoniteKrunch

Nintendo Network ID: KryptoniteKrunch

kkslider5552000

Grumblevolcano wrote:

2014, you had:

DKC Tropical Freeze
MK8 (also the franchise's debut for DLC and the free game promotion)
Hyrule Warriors
Bayonetta 1+2 (though I didn't get around to playing it until Switch version in 2018)
Smash Wii U and 3DS
Captain Toad
Shovel Knight
NES Remix 2
GBA games for Wii U VC
Pokemon Gen 3 remakes

And plenty of others, not to mention one of Nintendo's best E3 years and lots of Nintendo Directs throughout the year. Can't say I miss the Smash 3DS demo code begging though, that was complete chaos

This is a fairly reasonable take for a Nintendo fan.

But my memories of that year in particular outside of Nintendo is based heavily on other AAA game studios disappointing across the board. The Crew, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Watch Dogs 1, Sims 4, Castlevania Lord of Shadow 2, Battlefront Hardline, Titanfall 1, Destiny, Sonic Boom etc. Like every other major release.

I remember seeing a lot of discussion that year even outside of Nintendo sites usually pointing out that they were the exception to the rule.

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Dezzy

I've changed my mind after looking a bit more at some of the release calendars. I'm now convinced 2011 was the best year for gaming.

Dark Souls, Xenoblade Chronicles, Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Portal 2, Arkham City, Ocarina of Time 3D and Skyward Sword.

That's so many near-perfect games in a single year.

Edited on by Dezzy

It's dangerous to go alone! Stay at home.

kkslider5552000

Dezzy wrote:

I've changed my mind after looking a bit more at some of the release calendars. I'm now convinced 2011 was the best year for gaming.

Dark Souls, Xenoblade Chronicles, Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Portal 2, Arkham City, Ocarina of Time 3D and Skyward Sword.

That's so many near-perfect games in a single year.

thanks to this post, I found out Mass Effect 2 came out on PS3 in 2011. I did not know that. I mean I did know Mass Effect 1 was Xbox exclusive until the trilogy release, but I just assumed when they got to 2 it was multi-console ASAP like every 3rd party game by that point.

(2011 was definitely the year I was the most consistently excited for new 360 releases, that's for sure. On top of that, I actually got to ME1 in 2011)

Edited on by kkslider5552000

Non-binary, demiguy, making LPs, still alive

Megaman Legends 2 Let's Play!:
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Dezzy

Now we just need the trilogy remaster!

It's dangerous to go alone! Stay at home.

Grumblevolcano

@kkslider5552000 Well yeah, outside Nintendo was bad for 2013 and 2014 (XB1 really messed up because of Don Mattrick's vision and rushed games meanwhile PS4 in its first few years was pretty much relying solely on Sony making fun of Microsoft at E3 2013).

Grumblevolcano

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