Best game from your birth year?

[3DSStrider]

I figured that since I sort of cheated last time that I would do a little more searching for games from 1998. Here's some other good ones:

Ocarina of Time was a revolutionary game and still fun to this day. There's a lot of backlash nowadays because people have hyped it up so much, and while I certainly wouldn't call it the best video game ever, it's still a must play game.

Half-Life was also a game that received a lot of attention for revolutionizing its genre. Some parts feel a bit dated now, (I would imagine that it would seem even more so if you've played the sequel, but I haven't) but if you're a fan of first person shooters, it's a must play. However, I wouldn't place it above...

Unreal. Everyone knows the multiplayer focused spinoff Unreal Tournament, but the original Unreal is an amazing game. When other FPS's (such as the aforementioned Half-Life) were shoving players in cramped corridors, Unreal gave you beautiful large open spaces. If FPS's are about immersion, then Unreal is one of the best examples of the genre; in fact I would even say that it's better than Half-Life.

Tekken 3 was released in arcades in 1997, but came to the Playstation a year later in 1998. Tekken 3 took away the awkward animation and floaty physics of the previous games to make a fighting game that was faster and more fluid than its predecessors. It also has one of the best soundtracks in the genre.

There was also some interesting video game hardware that came out during that period:

The Neo Geo Pocket was a valiant effort by SNK to compete with the Game Boy. Unfortunately, it launched in the middle of Pokemania and ate Nintendo's dust. It had amazing potable conversions of SNK's fighters, with a nice little joystick that made pulling of special moves fun and easy. With a link cable it could connect to...

The Dreamcast. It launched in Japan in 1998, and for a few fleeting moments, took the gaming world by storm. Like the Neo Geo Pocket, it lost to a more popular console, in this case the Playstation 2. It also had a great library of fighters and other arcade games, though its library of exclusives has dwindled somewhat.

[Gunstar Green]

Also StarCraft.

I remember 1998 really fondly as a PC gamer but consoles and arcades were no slouch either. I've heard some people say 98 was one of gaming's greatest single years and I don't disagree.

[marlowe221]

1982:

Arcade:

Robotron 2084
Ms. Pac-Man
Dig Dug

Console:

Star Raiders (2600)
Pitfall! (2600)
River Raid (2600)

Also, the 5200, the Vectrex, and the ZX Spectrum came out that year

[RudySilvergun]

Fun fact: I don't think there were any home games released in 1974.

That's because the world couldn't handle both me AND video games the same year. Geez you guys are a bunch of young whipper snappers.

[Ziggy]

(NA release)

Happens to be one of my favorites games, too.

[samsonlonghair]

Fun fact: I don't think there were any home games released in 1974.

That's because the world couldn't handle both me AND video games the same year. Geez you guys are a bunch of young whipper snappers.

Well... Maybe it was a little bit about your sheer awesomeness.

Mostly, the 1974 drought is the result of legal action taken by Magnavox against everyone else in the video game industry. Magnavox sued Atari et al claiming that Magnavox owned the sole right to distribute Ralph Baer's Magnavox Odyssey.

The success of Pong attracted the attention of Ralph Baer, the inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey, and his employer, Sanders Associates. Sanders had an agreement with Magnavox to handle the Odyssey's sublicensing, which included dealing with infringement on its exclusive rights. However, Magnavox had not pursued legal action against Atari and numerous other companies that released Pong clones.[22] Sanders continued to apply pressure, and in April 1974 Magnavox filed suit against Atari, Bally Midway, Allied Leisure and Chicago Dynamics.[23] Magnavox argued that Atari had infringed on Baer's patents and his concept of electronic ping-pong based on detailed records Sanders kept of the Odyssey's design process dating back to 1966. Other documents included depositions from witnesses and a signed guest book that demonstrated Bushnell had played the Odyssey's table tennis game prior to releasing Pong.[22][24] In response to claims that he saw the Odyssey, Bushnell later stated that, "The fact is that I absolutely did see the Odyssey game and I didn't think it was very clever."[25]

After considering his options, Bushnell decided to settle with Magnavox out of court. Bushnell's lawyer felt they could win; however, he estimated legal costs of US$1.5 million, which would have exceeded Atari's funds. Magnavox offered Atari an agreement to become a licensee for US$700,000. Other companies producing "Pong clones"—Atari's competitors—would have to pay royalties. In addition, Magnavox would obtain the rights to Atari products developed over the next year.[22][24] Magnavox continued to pursue legal action against the other companies, and proceedings began shortly after Atari's settlement in June 1976. The first case took place at the district court in Chicago, with Judge John Grady presiding.[22][24][26] To avoid Magnavox obtaining rights to its products, Atari decided to delay the release of its products for a year, and withheld information from Magnavox's attorneys during visits to Atari facilities.[24]

source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong#Laws ... m_Magnavox

[mikenac]

1987 - Super Mario Bros. (3 - Screw, Round Seal)

to me, it's very hard to beat the Mario legacy.

[BoneSnapDeez]

lol, stretching it a bit with that pick. Clever!

[mikenac]

lol, stretching it a bit with that pick. Clever!

I looked through the list of 1987 and that was one of the few that stood out to me. I mean.....picking a re-release (kinda) was legal right?

[Sarge]

There's only a little game called The Legend of Zelda from that year. No biggie, though.