This Old Neon Forum

I'll start with the 80's as well, though it won't be a hard decade for me as it's before my time

1980 - Pac-Man
1981 - Donkey Kong
1982 - Donkey Kong Jr
1983 - Mario Bros.
1984 - Balloon Fight
1985 - Super Mario Bros.
1986 - Bubble Bobble
1987 - The Legend of Zelda
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2
1989 - Mega Man 2

I wouldn't say any of those years had hard picks for me. I based my list off of North American releases, but I can't say for sure I got the years right. The 90's will be more interesting!

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)

I'm using Wikipedia for ease in making this list, so it would be unsurprising if I miss something obvious. I'm going to use the exclamation point system to signify the number of games above one that were seriously contending for the top spot. I am using first year of release on the platform in question.

1980(!) - Pac-Man
1981(!) - Wizardry I: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
1982(!!) - Pitfall!
1983(!) - M.U.L.E.
1984(!!!) - The Lords of Midnight
1985(!!!) - Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
1986(!!!!!!) - Starflight
1987(!!!!!) - Metal Gear (MSX)
1988(!!!!!!!) - Dragon Quest III
1989(!!!!!!!) - Phantasy Star II
1990(!!!!!!!) - Final Fantasy III
1991(!!!!!!!!) - Final Fantasy IV
1992(!!!!!) - Star Control II
1993(!!!!!!!!!!!!) - Syndicate
1994(!!!!!!!!!) - Star Wars: TIE Fighter
1995(!!!!!!!!!!) - Chrono Trigger

I drop the exclamation points here because my experience with video games after the 16-bit era is much less broad. However, 1998 of course should be recognized as the greatest overall year in video-game history.

1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Fallout
1998 - Metal Gear Solid
1999 - Planescape: Torment
2000 - Deus Ex
2001 - Grand Theft Auto III
2002 - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
2003 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2004 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Starting here, when I began to put the bulk of my gaming time into retro games (and starting in 2008 had less time to game in general), my experience with contemporary games is very limited. Some of the years are choices that are by default, at least to some extent.

2005 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
2006 - Bully
2007 - BioShock
2008 - Lost Odyssey
2009 - Batman: Arkham Asylum
2010 - Just Cause 2
2011 - Portal 2

After this point I haven't played enough games to feel comfortable making any declarations other than Undertale (2015). I.e. none of the other games I've played from this time period give me enough confidence that they would hold up against their contemporaries, even the good ones.

Rob

Kong Wen wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017 20:40

Kong Wen wrote: ↑28 Nov 2017 19:04 I am FORCING myself not to allow ties or to mention runners-up. Those are just cheap ways for me to equivocate, and the fun of this thread is not being able to do that.

1980s

1980 - Zork: The Great Underground Empire - Part I (Infocom, PC)
1981 - Frogger (Konami, Arcade)
1982 - Ms. Pac-Man (Midway, Arcade)
1983 - M.U.L.E. (Electronic Arts, Commodore 64)
1984 - Elite (Acornsoft, PC)
1985 - Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NES)
1986 - The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, NES)
1987 - Final Fantasy (Square, NES)
1988 - Mega Man 2 (Capcom, NES)
1989 - Destiny of an Emperor (Capcom, NES)

Top Publishers: Capcom (2) and Nintendo (2)
Top Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (5)

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)

Kong Wen wrote: ↑30 Nov 2017 15:24

Kong Wen wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017 20:40

Kong Wen wrote: ↑28 Nov 2017 19:04 I am FORCING myself not to allow ties or to mention runners-up. Those are just cheap ways for me to equivocate, and the fun of this thread is not being able to do that.

1980s

1980 - Zork: The Great Underground Empire - Part I (Infocom, PC)
1981 - Frogger (Konami, Arcade)
1982 - Ms. Pac-Man (Midway, Arcade)
1983 - M.U.L.E. (Electronic Arts, Commodore 64)
1984 - Elite (Acornsoft, PC)
1985 - Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NES)
1986 - The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, NES)
1987 - Final Fantasy (Square, NES)
1988 - Mega Man 2 (Capcom, NES)
1989 - Destiny of an Emperor (Capcom, NES)

Top Publishers: Capcom (2) and Nintendo (2)
Top Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (5)

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 - N++ (Metanet Software, PS4)
2016 - Pokémon GO (Niantic, Mobile)
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, Switch)
2018 -
2019 -

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

Claytone wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017 17:20

1980s

1980 - Berzerk (Arcade) - *
1981 - Galaga (Arcade) - **
1982 - Ms. Pac-Man (Arcade) - **
1983 - Atic Atac (ZX Spectrum) - ***
1984 - Marble Madness (Arcade) - *
1985 - Super Mario Bros. (NES) - *
1986 - Ghosts'n Goblins (NES) - **
1987 - Castlevania (NES) - **
1988 - Mega Man 2 (NES) - *****
1989 - Batman: The Video Game (NES) - ****

Still using North American release dates except in the case of MG2:SS, whose stateside release was so long after its JP release that I think it goes against the spirit of this list.

'98 killed me, but most of all, this list showed me that I need to devote a little more of my retro gaming time to the early '90s.

1990s
1990 - Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2) - **
1991 - Super Mario World (SNES) - *
1992 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) - ****
1993 - DOOM (PC) - *
1994 - Earthworm Jim (SNES/Genesis) - *
1995 - Ristar (Genesis) - ****
1996 - Super Mario 64 (N64) - **
1997 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1/Saturn) - **
1998 - Fallout 2 (PC) - ************
1999 - Super Smash Bros. (N64) - *

Thought I’d do a best game for each console and generation. I avoided PC as much as possible also I only included consoles I’ve played. I didn’t know what Generation the switch was so excluded it from Gen 8.

Best Switch Game - Super Mario Odyssey

Best Gen 8 Game - Animal Crossing New Leaf
Best PS4 Game - Overwatch (Technically havent played it on PS4 though)
Best Wii U Game - The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
Best 3DS Game - Animal Crossing New Leaf

Best Gen 7 Game - Red Dead Redemption
Best PS3/XB360 Game - Red Dead Redemption
Best Wii Game - Super Mario Galaxy 2
Best PSP Game - Pass
Best DS Game - The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

Best Gen 6 Game - Runescape
Best PS2 Game - Kingdom Hearts
Best Xbox Game - Halo:Combat Evolve
Best GameCube Game - The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
Best GBA Game - Pokemon Emerald
Best Gen 6 PC Game - Runescape

Best Gen 5 Game - Banjo Kazooie
Best GBC Game - Pokemon Silver
Best N64 Game - Banjo Kazooie
Best PlayStation Game - Pass

Best Gen 4 Game - Super Mario World
Best SNES Game - Super Mario World
Best GB Game - Pokemon Red/Blue

Best Gen 3 Game - Super Mario Bros. 3
Best NES Game - Super Mario Bros. 3

Sharecrow wrote: ↑30 Nov 2017 02:38 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)

Kong Wen wrote: ↑01 Dec 2017 16:57

Kong Wen wrote: ↑30 Nov 2017 15:24

Kong Wen wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017 20:40

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


2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, Switch)

That's interesting, considering you were putting Destiny 2 ahead of it in the game of the year thread!

The Shoemaker wrote: ↑03 Dec 2017 18:06 That's interesting, considering you were putting Destiny 2 ahead of it in the game of the year thread!

Not lately; certainly not in my last couple updates to that thread. D2 has a great core but it has no legs, unlike the first one.