Favorite Game for every year?

[MerlinDrazziw]

Don't think I can put up a list like this. Will have to recall some favorite games and lookup their release date and maybe replace a title if I liked another one better. Probably will miss some years.

1990 - Super Mario World (SNES)
1991 - Commander Keen 4 (PC)
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1994 - Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)
1995 - Descent (PC)
1996 - Quake (PC)
1997 - Shadow Warrior (PC)
1998 - Unreal (PC)
1999 - Jet Force Gemini (N64)

That's it for now, will probably change this list when I look for other games.

[Kong Wen]

1990 - Super Mario World (SNES)
1991 - Commander Keen 4 (PC)
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1994 - Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)
1995 - Descent (PC)
1996 - Quake (PC)
1997 - Shadow Warrior (PC)
1998 - Unreal (PC)
1999 - Jet Force Gemini (N64)

That's it for now, will probably change this list when I look for other games.

I love your list!

[MerlinDrazziw]

1990 - Super Mario World (SNES)
1991 - Commander Keen 4 (PC)
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1994 - Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)
1995 - Descent (PC)
1996 - Quake (PC)
1997 - Shadow Warrior (PC)
1998 - Unreal (PC)
1999 - Jet Force Gemini (N64)

That's it for now, will probably change this list when I look for other games.

I love your list!

Thanks. Haven't played all of these games in the same year they were released and they may be replaced by some N64 titles when I review them. Filled in some gaps when I found a gamelist per year on Wikipedia, but those list only contained some notable entries.

[Sharecrow]

I'll start with the 80s as well.

1980: Berzerk! (Arcade)
1981: Galaga (Arcade)
1982: Pitfall (Atari 2600)
1983: Spyhunter (Arcade)
1984: Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns (Atari 2600)
1985: Gradius (Arcade)
1986: Dragon Quest (Famicom)
1987: R-Type (Arcade)
1988: Ninja Gaiden (NES)
1989: Phantasy Star II (Genesis)

1990s

1990: Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES)
1991: Warsong (Genesis)
1992: Desert Strike (Genesis)
1993: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine)
1994: Doom II (PC)
1995: Dragon Quest VI (Super Famicom)
1996: Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (PC)
1997: Einhander (PlayStation)
1998: Thief: The Dark Project (PC)
1999: Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (PC)

2000s

2000: Dragon Quest VII (PS1)
2001: Final Fantasy X (PS2)
2002: Shinobi (PS2)
2003: Tales of Symphonia (GC)
2004: Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
2005: Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
2006: Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
2007: God of War II (PS2)
2008: Dead Space (PS3)
2009: Assassin's Creed II (PS3)

[Sharecrow]

I'll start with the 80s as well.

1980: Berzerk! (Arcade)
1981: Galaga (Arcade)
1982: Pitfall (Atari 2600)
1983: Spyhunter (Arcade)
1984: Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns (Atari 2600)
1985: Gradius (Arcade)
1986: Dragon Quest (Famicom)
1987: R-Type (Arcade)
1988: Ninja Gaiden (NES)
1989: Phantasy Star II (Genesis)

1990s

1990: Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES)
1991: Warsong (Genesis)
1992: Desert Strike (Genesis)
1993: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine)
1994: Doom II (PC)
1995: Dragon Quest VI (Super Famicom)
1996: Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (PC)
1997: Einhander (PlayStation)
1998: Thief: The Dark Project (PC)
1999: Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (PC)

2000s

2000: Dragon Quest VII (PS1)
2001: Final Fantasy X (PS2)
2002: Shinobi (PS2)
2003: Tales of Symphonia (GC)
2004: Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
2005: Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
2006: Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
2007: God of War II (PS2)
2008: Dead Space (PS3)
2009: Assassin's Creed II (PS3)

Let's finish this:

2010s

2010: Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
2011: Dead Island (PS3)
2012: Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3)
2013: Outlast (PS4)
2014: Evil Within (PS3/PS4)
2015: Life is Strange (PS4)
2016: Far Cry: Primal (PS4)
2017: Tales of Berseria (PS4)

[MerlinDrazziw]

1990 - Super Mario World (SNES)
1991 - Commander Keen 4 (PC)
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1994 - Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)
1995 - Descent (PC)
1996 - Quake (PC)
1997 - Shadow Warrior (PC)
1998 - Unreal (PC)
1999 - Jet Force Gemini (N64)

Changed some titles from previous list and added titles for each 2k year. Had to check the EU release dates for some games, they were not always the same as the US release dates.
1990 - Prince of Persia (PC)
1991 - Commander Keen 4 (PC)
1992 - Metroid II: Return of Samus (NGB)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1994 - Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC)
1995 - Descent (PC)
1996 - Quake (PC)
1997 - Doom 64 (N64)
1998 - Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (N64)
1999 - Unreal Tournament (PC)

2000 - Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force (Mac)
2001 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
2002 - Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Mac)
2003 - Metroid Prime (NGC)
2004 - Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA)
2005 - Mario Kart DS (NDS)
2006 - The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (NGC)
2007 - Exite Truck (Wii)
2008 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS)
2009 - Wii Sports Resort (Wii)

2010 - TrackMania Wii (Wii)
2011 - Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer (iOS)
2012 - Darksiders II (Wii U)
2013 - LEGO City Undercover (Wii U)
2014 - Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
2015 - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)
2016 - Axiom Verge (Wii U)
2017 - Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

[Jordan]

1990-Mega Man 3
1991-Super Mario World
1992-Kirby's Dreamland
1993-Link's Awakening (though Zelda DX is the definitive version)
1994-Mega Man X
1995-Donkey Kong Country 2
1996-Kichikuou Rance
1997-Mega Man Legends
1998-Banjo Kazooie
1999-Valkyrie Profile (cheating with the Japanese release date as I have another preferred game in 2000); honorable mention to Alpha Centauri
2000-Mega Man Legends 2
2001-Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII (cheating with JP release date)
2002-Ape Escape 2; honorable mention to Dark Cloud 2
2003-Big Bang Age; honorable mentions to Mega Man Battle Network 3, GTA Vice City and Fire Emblem
2004-Rise of Nations Complete (this was when the expansion Thrones and Patriots was released)
2005-Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance; honorable mention to Radiata Stories and Civ IV
2006-Sengoku Rance (favorite game of all time)
2007-The World Ends With You; honorable mention to Pokemon D/P as they got me back into Pokemon
2008-Grand Theft Auto IV; honorable mentions to Kirby Superstar Ultra and Rhythm Heaven
2009-Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time; honorable mentions to Overlord 2 and Little King's Story
2010-Civilization V (though I should point out that it was TRASH at the time of vanilla release; it got better through dozens of patches, dlc and expansions); honorable mention to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Kingdom Hearts BBS
2011-Pokemon Black and White I guess. This was a horrible year for me.
2012-Theatrhythm
2013-Monster Hunter 4U
2014-Danganronpa
2015-Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
2016-Rabi-Ribi
2017-Toss up between Persona 5 and Super Mario Odyssey

I'm not going to lie, I had to look most of this shit up. It's weird how some of these games feel like I played them yesterday while others feel ancient.

[SkyPikachu]

It's been a year so I thought I'd update my list.

Before I was born
1985 - Super Mario Bros.
1986 - Pass (Havent played any)
1987 - Pass (Haven’t played any)
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2
1989 - Mega Man 2
1990 - Super Mario Bros. 3 - (Second favourite 2D mario)
1991 - Super Mario World - (My first mario and my favorite mario)
1992 - Super Mario Kart - (Haven't played Alttp, Alttp would probably beat SMK)

90's/From when I was born
1993 - Mega Man X - (One of my top 10)
1994 - Super Metroid - (First tough choice)
1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2 - (The best DKC game ever and one of my favourite games ever)
1996 - Donkey Kong Country 3 - (Not my fav DKC but still a great one the speedboats were a really neat idea)
1997 - Mario Kart 64 - (Pretty close to the only 97 game I’ve played)
1998 - Banjo Kazooie - (A pretty easy year for me actually considering how stacked it is)
1999 - Pokémon Yellow - (Quiet year)

Gen 6/Primary School
2000 - Pokémon Silver - (My first Pokémon game)
2001 - Runescape - (There's another game that nearly beat this but runescape is the game I've played the most in my life it was what Wow was to a lot of people for me)
2002 - Kingdom Hearts (Oh boy is this story alone amazing then the games just pure fun with all the worlds disney is just perfect)
2003 - Wind Waker (Technically it’s Pokemon Sapphire however I picked Emerald for 2005 which was a weaker year. Wind Waker deserves a spot as it’s breath taking)
2004 - Fable - Easily the most enjoyable game I've played in 2018 I don't know why I loved it so much. - Pokémon Firered

Gen 7/High School
2005 - Pokémon Emerald (More so Sapphire however I’m cheating so I can pick Wind Waker for 2003)
2006 - Wii Sports (The more I think about it the more this makes sense. I haven’t played Twilight Princess or Kingdom Hearts II and this game was played a ton and was just amazing with the motion controls)
2007 - Portal (This game just something about it is adorable and perfect.)
2008 - Pokémon Platinum - Another classic pokemon game while I missed some of the newer features I much much much prefered the older style and feel to the game compared to the Sun/Moon feel. - NHL 09
2009 - Skate 2 (Easily my favorite skateboarding game and easily my favorite 2009 game I 100%’d this and loved it to bits)
2010 - Red Dead Redemption (Literally the hardest year so far. Red Dead was just an amazing adventure that I still remember to this day and that ending was just wow.)

Back end of Gen 7/Post School
2011 - Portal 2 (Nothing can beat this)
2012 - Xenoblade Chronicles (I feel like this is the only game I enjoyed this year. I'm not sure if I've just not played many 2012 games or if it was a very weak year.) - [Pass]
2013 - Animal Crossing New Leaf (This game was my life in 2013 I played around 500 hours of this I swear it saved my life.)
2014 - South Park: The Stick of Truth (I 100%'d this and can't wait to play the 2nd one when I get the chance. Another weak year surprisingly.)

Current Gen
2015 - Ori and the Blind Forest (It's actually funny that 2011-2015 have been just such easy picks for me. There's been a lot more game releases but not as many fantastic games unlike the naughties.)
2016 - Overwatch (I played this so much over christmas and earl 2017 Jan-Mar it's just so so fun.)
2017 - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle I 100%'d this game within 2 weeks and played it so much it was easily the highlight of the year - N/A
2018 Nominees I've played - Reverie, Iconoclasts, God of War
2018 Nominees I've yet to play - Spider-man, Red Dead Redemption, Mega Man 11, Celeste, Unravel Two, Hollow Knight, Pode, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu

[Kong Wen]

1990s

1990 - Super Mario World (Nintendo, SNES)
1991 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (Koei, SNES)
1992 - Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention (Sega, Genesis)
1993 - Secret of Mana (Square, SNES)
1994 - Final Fantasy VI (Square, SNES)
1995 - Chrono Trigger (Square, SNES)
1996 - Diablo (Blizzard, PC)
1997 - Final Fantasy Tactics (Square, PS1)
1998 - Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (Working Designs, PS1)
1999 - Front Mission 3 (Square, PS1)

Top Publisher: Square (5)
Top Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (5)

2000s

2000 - Vagrant Story (Square, PS1)
2001 - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Koei, PS2)
2002 - Metroid Fusion (Nintendo, GBA)
2003 - Dynasty Warriors 4 (Koei, PS2)
2004 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX (Koei, PS2)
2005 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Nintendo, GCN)
2006 - Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix, PS2)
2007 - Portal (Valve, PC)
2008 - Fallout 3 (Bethesda, PS3)
2009 - The Beatles: Rock Band (Harmonix, PS3)

Top Publisher: Koei (3)
Top Platform: Sony PlayStation 2 (4)

2010s

2010 - Super Meat Boy (Team Meat, X360)
2011 - Dark Souls (Namco Bandai Games, PS3)
2012 - XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2K Games, PS3)
2013 - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (505 Games, PS3)
2014 - Destiny (Activision, PS4)
2015 - Bloodborne (Sony Computer Entertainment, PS4)
2016 - Pokémon GO (Niantic, Mobile)
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, Switch)
2018 - Monster Hunter: World (Capcom, PS4)
2019 -

Top Publisher: N/A
Top Platform: Sony PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4 (3 each)

Following Slurm's lead, I went back and updated this list based on games I played this year (and filled in 2018's entry). I shotgunned Bloodborne in September and it was good enough narrowly to edge out N++ as my favourite game of 2015.