What is the best year of gaming for you?

[o.pwuaioc]

1994 was probably the peak, but 1993 and 1995 were also great years. I remember it being an action-packed and exciting three years for both the Genesis and the SNES.

[Inazuma]

This is actually an interesting post. Looking at things objectively, I actually think things have been getting getting worse overall for the past couple of years. I mean there are some awesome things I can point to from this year, last year, etc, etc, etc. but I don't like where the industry as a whole is going. I really feel like it is retrogressing, particularly japanese gaming. I wonder if anyone else feels that way

I've said similar things many times before. The video game industry was very good until around year 2000 or so and then things started to gradually get worse overall.

The main turning point was probably the PS2's ability to play DVD movies. Because of this you had people who normally didn't play games buying PS2s. The Dreamcast was so much better than the PS2 but it couldn't play movies, so it got destroyed by casual gamers.

Around the same time Microsoft releases their Xbox console, which helped encourage more western developers to make bad games.

And that brings us to our current generation, which is easily the worst of all time. The Xbox 360 is filled to the brim with shitty western FPS games. The PS3 can play Blu ray movies. And both of them completely fucking abuse the internet by breaking games apart and charging extra money to download part of the game. The average price of a new game went from $50 to $60 + DLC (which can sometimes surpass $100).

And even the incredibly awesome Nintendo had to take a major fucking dump on video games with their Wii. Not only did they re-release the Gamecube under a different name instead of making a new system, they had to add insult to injury by having shitty fucking motion controls and marketing their system towards non-gamers. Thanks to the massive success of the Wii, casual gaming exploded and it has a very strong negative influence on everything gaming related today.

I didn't even mention mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets. Today's game industry is pretty fucking awful. It's really sad.

The increase in popularity of retro games and retro style new games is likely due to the fact that most modern games are just not that great. There is so much bullshit today that many people find themselves looking in the past for something good to play. I'm one of them.

[isiolia]

It seems to get better every year. Be it newer games coming out that I enjoy or discovering retro goodyness it always seems to get better.

This is actually an interesting post. Looking at things objectively, I actually think things have been getting getting worse overall for the past couple of years. I mean there are some awesome things I can point to from this year, last year, etc, etc, etc. but I don't like where the industry as a whole is going. I really feel like it is retrogressing, particularly japanese gaming. I wonder if anyone else feels that way

I don't really think so. I think it's easy to feel that way because the past tends to get filtered. We remember the early/mid 90s for the hits, not the misses like the push for FMV/digitized games, the Activator, Virtual Boy, or whatever else.

The industry is obviously changing, but the entertainment industry as a whole is constantly evolving, and nice stuff has come out of it. It might not be the ideal yet, but having tens of thousands of titles online for instant streaming for free or a marginal fee is pretty nice I think, as one example.

I think there's more opportunity now than there's been in a while, and it's getting better. Personally, I like physical copies n' such too. Not much a fan of DLC. However, I can't deny that direct downloads have done a lot for smaller devs. Online distribution, such as Steam or XBLA, has given them exposure and distribution that they would never have gotten in a previous generation.
Even for larger games, the internet facilitates word-of-mouth like nothing else, and digital copies mean there's enough for everyone.

That in combination with the fact that millions of people are essentially carrying handheld computer around that (at best) are more powerful than any handheld console on the market is just phenomenal (and the way things are going, a 7" Android tablet will probably cost the same as a 3DS by next year). With apps stores, and true impulse-buy pricing. Sure, maybe what's been a hit so far is "casual" stuff like Angry Birds or Plants vs Zombies - but the kicker is more the possibility in front of them. The right game/word of mouth, and 99 cents later they could be playing something great.

Realistically, what's stopping the next big JRPG from being on Android or iOS? Suda from putting a game on Steam? Recettear has sold over 100,000 copies there alone, vastly exceeding expectations (according to wiki).

The big, soulless publishers and derivative games have always been around. To me though, we're seeing an increasingly connected industry with a lower and lower barrier of entry. It's easier than ever to make a game, for word to get out that it's good, and for customers to find a copy. The opportunity to make a great game and get it out there is better than ever, and will only improve.

If anything, the problem with Japanese games (as they were brought up) is that too few are actually taking advantage of the new markets. Outside of Japan anyway.

'course, with the expanded markets, we do have plenty of crap getting pushed out too, and DLC (particularly) can be abused...but I think the good outweighs the bad insofar as actually being able to get people playing good games.

[BoringSupreez]

Tough choice between 1998, 2000, and 2004.

1998 brought us Ocarina of Time, Half Life, Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot 3, Spyro the Dragon, and Banjo Kazooie. 3D gaming finally hit its stride, PS1 games began to take advantage of Dualshock controllers as a whole, and PC games began to take on the modern form we have today.

2000 brought us Deus Ex, Banjo Tooie, Perfect Dark, Spyro 3, Rayman 2 (on Dreamcast), Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and Jet Grind Radio. The PS2 launched, PS1 and N64 enjoyed their last big years, and the Dreamcast was in it's prime. According to my RF Generation collection stats, I own more games from 2000 than any other year.

2004 brought us Half Life 2, Far Cry, Civilization 4, Doom 3, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Knights of the Old Republic 2, Chronicles of Riddick, Halo 2, Jak 3, Katamari Damacy, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Ratchet and Clank 3, and Rome: Total War. This was the last year before the current gen began. Xbox was at it's peak, graphics were becoming to look like what they do today, Gamecube enjoyed it's last big hits before RE4, and the DS launched.

In the end, I think I have to go with 2004. So many of the games that came out that year are among my favorites, and it was the first year I was a serious console gamer.

[DinnerX]

We remember the early/mid 90s for the hits, not the misses like the push for FMV/digitized games, the Activator, Virtual Boy, or whatever else.

The bad stuff of today is the successful stuff. Well, at least in my opinion.

[o.pwuaioc]

We remember the early/mid 90s for the hits, not the misses like the push for FMV/digitized games, the Activator, Virtual Boy, or whatever else.

The bad stuff of today is the successful stuff. Well, at least in my opinion.

QFT.

[isiolia]

We remember the early/mid 90s for the hits, not the misses like the push for FMV/digitized games, the Activator, Virtual Boy, or whatever else.

The bad stuff of today is the successful stuff. Well, at least in my opinion.

In all likelihood, none of us like everything from any given generation of games. Few of the AAA games are truly bad games though, even if they aren't to my tastes. Are they necessarily the most ambitious, innovative, interesting titles? Nah. But neither were quite a number of SNES games (for example) that reviewed well and are still enjoyed today. To me, something like the Super Star Wars trilogy is like the Uncharted series today. Nothing groundbreaking, but polished and enjoyable games with mass appeal.
Compare that to, say, Batman Forever, which had trendy digitized graphics to go with its hot movie license...and was a steaming pile that nobody cares about now.

[o.pwuaioc]

There were still far more mega hits that were genuinely awesome then compared to today. Indie games are the only games I really keep up with today. Too few are the games like Braid or VVVVV.

[BananaXX]

For me it would be 2001 when I got an N64 along with Donkey Kong 64, Golden Eye, LoZ:OoT, and Super Mario 64. Ugh such an awesome holiday even if I was only 10. I get a warm feeling every time I think about that wonderful day.

[Inazuma]

Even if there was a new game that was honestly fantastic, you can't own it. You used to be able to buy 100% of a game on a physical cartridge or disc and actually own it. Now, the game is either download only or disc + download. Both of which means you don't own it.

Microsoft and Sony are not only selling us less content for more money, but more importantly they are taking away control and rights from us, and we are letting them get away with it. Stop buying download games/DLC! We need to knock it the fuck off already. We are very rapidily reaching the point where these game companies will have 100% control/ownership of everything video game related and we will be completely fucked. The government doesn't do anything to stop it. There is no organization that speaks out for gamers' rights. And no one even seems to care. It's fucking disgusting how much worse gaming has gotten just over the past few years.