Personal Video Game of Each Year List

[WR91]

Below is my personal video game of the year list. Join in and post your list as well!

Here is my list:

1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis)
1992 - Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo)
1993 - Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Super Nintendo)
1994 - X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (Super Nintendo)
1995 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Super Nintendo)
1996 - Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
1997 - Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
1999 - WWF WrestleMania 2000 (Nintendo 64)
2000 - Spider-Man (PlayStation)
2001 - Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)
2002 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PlayStation 2)
2003 - Tony Hawk's Underground (PlayStation 2)
2004 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PlayStation 2)
2005 - Quake 4 (Xbox 360)
2006 - Bully (PlayStation 2)
2007 - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PlayStation 3)
2008 - Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360)
2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PlayStation 3)
2010 - Alan Wake (Xbox 360)
2011 - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PlayStation 3)
2012 - The Walking Dead: Season One (Xbox 360)
2013 - The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
2014 - Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 4)
2015 - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PlayStation 4)
2017 - Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
2018 - God of War (PlayStation 4)
2019 - Days Gone (PlayStation 4)

[WR91]

Anyone else got a favorite game of the year list from every year they were born? If not, think about it and let me know. I'd love to hear everyone's picks.

[Moonface]

1995: Rayman
1996: Crash Bandicoot
1997: Tomb Raider 2
1998: Tekken 3
1999: Ape Escape
2000: Tekken Tag Tournament
2001: Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
2002: Ratchet & Clank
2003: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
2004: Paper Mario: The Thousand -ear Door
2005: Resident Evil 4
2006: Ape Escape 3
2007: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
2008: LittleBigPlanet
2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010: Red Dead Redemption
2011: LittleBigPlanet 2
2012: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
2013: The Last of Us
2014: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
2015: Bloodborne
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018: God of War
2019: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
2020: ???

1996 was tough, because Tomb Raider, Wipeout 2097, Tekken 2, and Destruction Derby 2 also released that year. Tomb Raider would've got it but the level of difficulty due to limited saves is a major turn off for me. 1999 also has some great games like Crash Team Racing, Rayman 2, Spyro 2, and Wip3out.

I would have given Minecraft GOTY in 2009 but felt it would be unfair to do so because I'm judging that game based on what it offers today, which is nothing on par to what it was in 2009. Also Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time came very close but Uncharted 2 just beats it for me.

2011 is another banger of a year, with Uncharted 3, Dead Space 2, Rayman Origins, Bastion, and Limbo all coming out that year, but LBP2 is just far too good to me.

Shoutouts to 2012 and 2014 having barely any games I played to the point I almost had nothing to nominate.

2017 has so much stuff it's almost impossible to pick a game for me. BotW gets it just because I've so much fun with the game.

I think 2020 will go to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time for me unless the game does something really wrong. XD

[WR91]

1995: Rayman
1996: Crash Bandicoot
1997: Tomb Raider 2
1998: Tekken 3
1999: Ape Escape
2000: Tekken Tag Tournament
2001: Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
2002: Ratchet & Clank
2003: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
2004: Paper Mario: The Thousand -ear Door
2005: Resident Evil 4
2006: Ape Escape 3
2007: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
2008: LittleBigPlanet
2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010: Red Dead Redemption
2011: LittleBigPlanet 2
2012: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
2013: The Last of Us
2014: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
2015: Bloodborne
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018: God of War
2019: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
2020: ???

1996 was tough, because Tomb Raider, Wipeout 2097, Tekken 2, and Destruction Derby 2 also released that year. Tomb Raider would've got it but the level of difficulty due to limited saves is a major turn off for me. 1999 also has some great games like Crash Team Racing, Rayman 2, Spyro 2, and Wip3out.

I would have given Minecraft GOTY in 2009 but felt it would be unfair to do so because I'm judging that game based on what it offers today, which is nothing on par to what it was in 2009. Also Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time came very close but Uncharted 2 just beats it for me.

2011 is another banger of a year, with Uncharted 3, Dead Space 2, Rayman Origins, Bastion, and Limbo all coming out that year, but LBP2 is just far too good to me.

Shoutouts to 2012 and 2014 having barely any games I played to the point I almost had nothing to nominate.

2017 has so much stuff it's almost impossible to pick a game for me. BotW gets it just because I've so much fun with the game.

I think 2020 will go to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time for me unless the game does something really wrong. XD

Nice list. Anyone else got a list?

[Eric]

My main takeaway here is that Moony is younger than I thought he was

[Moonface]

My main takeaway here is that Moony is younger than I thought he was

I turn 30 in about six weeks. How old did you think I was? XD

[Eric]

Oh nevermind, I noticed that you started with 1995 so I thought that maybe you were actually 25 lol.

[WR91]

My main takeaway here is that Moony is younger than I thought he was

I turn 30 in about six weeks. How old did you think I was? XD

Yeah why'd you start in '95 if you're almost 30? Hmmm...

[Moonface]

Because I didn't play a video game until I was 5 so I can't have a GotY before then.

[WR91]

Because I didn't play a video game until I was 5 so I can't have a GotY before then.

But if you've played a game from the years you were born you can still add it to your list. As long as the game came out that certain year.

I guess I didn't really explain that did I? lol

[Moonface]

Oh I know that. I just genuinely also haven't played a game that came out before then or if in the event I have and don't recall, it'd maybe be the only game of that year I played and I wouldn't want to give the pick to a game by default due to lack of a secondary option.

[WR91]

Oh I know that. I just genuinely also haven't played a game that came out before then or if in the event I have and don't recall, it'd maybe be the only game of that year I played and I wouldn't want to give the pick to a game by default due to lack of a secondary option.

Oh ok. I guess that's fair lol.

[Mr EliteL]

1991: The Simpsons (arcade game, played it on PC years later, like late 90's/early 2000's)
1992-'94: N/A
1995: Worms
1996: Road Rash (PS1 version)
1997: Atomic Bomberman
1998: Tekken 3
1999: Super Mario Bros Deluxe
2000: Tekken Tag Tournament
2001: Paper Mario (through Wii Virtual Console)
2002: Super Smash Bros. Melee (PAL release)
2003: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
2004: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
2005: Tekken 5
2006: New Super Mario Bros.
2007: Izuna: The Unemployed Ninja
2008: Luminous Arc 2: Will
2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
2011: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
2012: Dragon's Dogma
2013: The Last of Us
2014: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
2015: Stella Glow
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017: Tekken 7
2018: Octopath Traveler
2019: Code Vein
2020: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

I haven't truly played anything from 1991-94, but added The Simpsons arcade for the sake of having something there at least. Played ports of a few number games that released those times, but I'll only put those with the game they came with, if that game itself makes it past any other game I played that year.

2001 had a few potential winners for me. There was Mario Kart Super Circuit, Luigi's Mansion and of course Super Smash Bros Melee that I played much more than any of these personal nominees. As I'm UK and have the PAL version, Melee sits in '02, that year had even more personal nominees than '01. Paper Mario edges out though for this year.

2003 has the closest final pick so far with Rayman 3, Tekken 4 and Mario Kart Double Dash all narrowly sit behind Superstar Saga.

2008 was another tough choice. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Rondo of Swords plus some more games that could be a huge contender if I completed them. For '09, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is very close, but it was between only them two (Uncharted 2).

For 2011, if I actually played it instead of watching, although for some reason I keep thinking I did, I'd put the RPG Maker game To The Moon.

2018, yep, Octopath > SSBU for me. Kinda the case for many years that it would be between just two with the other being more well known and the unlikely one came out on top. :3

For the past 5 or so years my pool of game variety hasn't been much, and I own many games I've yet to start and/or complete, so if I do some year choices might change.

EDIT: Changed 1999, Rayman 2 PS released 2000 which is the console I played it on. I would've had nothing for 1999 otherwise without SMB Deluxe.

[WR91]

1991: The Simpsons (arcade game, played it on PC years later, like late 90's/early 2000's)
1992-'94: N/A
1995: Worms
1996: Road Rash (PS1 version)
1997: Atomic Bomberman
1998: Tekken 3
1999: Rayman 2
2000: Tekken Tag Tournament
2001: Paper Mario (through Wii Virtual Console)
2002: Super Smash Bros. Melee (PAL release)
2003: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
2004: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
2005: Tekken 5
2006: New Super Mario Bros.
2007: Izuna: The Unemployed Ninja
2008: Luminous Arc 2: Will
2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
2011: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
2012: Dragon's Dogma
2013: The Last of Us
2014: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
2015: Stella Glow
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017: Tekken 7
2018: Octopath Traveler
2019: Code Vein
2020: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

Nice list. I'm glad so many people liked and enjoyed the Uncharted series. Like I've said somewhere else on this forum, it's my favorite series as a whole of all time. Naughty Dog as a video game studio is really something special.

[Maniakkid25]

*Cackles manically* Oh, this subject is just perfect for me. Gimme an excuse to ramble on about games? Sweet! So, I’m gonna start at 1997 (when Star Fox 64 came out and gave me my first taste of gaming), and I’m gonna explain why I put it there. Also, my criteria is mainly going to be “most important”, as “best” is a little more nebulous. That being said, I will be keeping to games with high praise behind them. Oh, and initial releases only! None of this re-release on a new console crap or “Game of the Year” edition bulls***.

1997 – Final Fantasy VII

It had to be! Of course it did. While I may hate the game to it’s rotten core, there’s no denying that it was the most important release of this year. What has to be the biggest JRPG ever released, Final Fantasy 7 is THE JRPG for most people, and it’s mark on gaming will forever be known.

Honorable mentions – Goldeneye 007, Diablo

1998 – Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Again, is anyone surprised? What Final Fantasy did for JRPGs, OoT did for adventure games: defined them for an entire generation. OoT is often cited as the best game of all-time, and while it’s not my personal fave, it has earned it’s spot on the throne, as far as I’m concerned.

Honorable mentions – Half-Life, Pokemon, Starcraft

1999 – System Shock 2

Yeah, the game to basically redefine FPSes and define the FPS RPG was always going to be on here, wasn’t it? A masterpiece of story, mechanics, gameplay, and, well, everything, this FPS blended RPG and Survival Horror into a brilliant game that continues to shine even today. It cannot be understated how glorious this game was and is.

Honorable Mentions – Silent Hill, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

2000 -  Deus Ex (This is getting REALLY hard!)

System Shock 2 defined the FPS RPG. Deus Ex perfected it. On the list of best games of all time, this game easily cracks the top 5, and it cannot be understated how amazing the game was. Pretty incredible considering that Daikatana dropped the same year from the same frikkin’ developer!

Honorable Mentions – Star Wars Episode 1 Racer

2001 – Grand Theft Auto 3

GOOD LORD, THIS YEAR WAS BITCHIN’! I had so many choices, but to narrow it to one, it has to be GTA. It cannot be understated how important the GTA series is, and GTA 3 is pretty much the game that defined the open-world sandbox we know and hate today. JESUS, this list is hard as hell!
Honorable Mentions – Red Faction, Halo: Combat Evolved, Final Fantasy X

2002 – Kingdom Hearts

AS WAS THIS ONE! WOW I HAD TO FIX THIS ONE, OKAY! Well, comparing all my runners up, I suppose my best choice has to be Kingdom Hearts. Being Nomura’s brain child, it mashed together two universes that did not belong together, and we ended up with something glorious and revolutionary. It made a huge name for itself, becoming an instant classic on the PS2 and creating a franchise that was incredible…right up until KH3 ruined it.

Honorable Mentions: Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Metroid Prime

2003 – Call of Duty

Most important game of 2003? Has to be CoD, don’t it? It’s not like it hasn’t blazed its way into public consciousness to the point that there is a massive backlash against it. The game that basically turned Activision in to an even more massive juggernaut than it already was. The game that caused every single other publisher to release FPSes in an attempt to chase the gravy train. Yeah, this was always gonna be on the list.

Honorable Mention: World of Warcraft

2004 – Half-Life 2

A lot of FPSes on this list, I’m actually surprised. But, yeah, after Valve basically helped re-invent the shooter with Half-Life, here comes Half-Life 2 with its revolutionary physics engine, basically rewriting overnight how games played. Playtested to the point of parody, this game is still lock tight after all these years, and a joy to play.

Honorable Mentions – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Halo 2

2005 – Resident Evil 4

Another one of those “Yeah, it was always gonna be this.” Resident Evil 4 was a revival of a game series everyone thought was played out (or at least, every developer did) and combined a good gameplay loop with stellar writing (even without the grading curve of Resident Evil writing). Basically, they threw out what made it Resident Evil, and no one cared, because we got gold.

Honorable Mention – Guitar Hero

2006 – Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

This one was rough, but I narrowed it down to Okami and this. By my own criteria, this has to edge it out. Elder Scrolls IV took the world by storm when it came out, with its beautiful visuals, strong gameplay, and near-endless content. It took what Morrowind did and strengthened every part of it.

Honorable Mentions – Okami, Gears of War, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2007 – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty brought the shooter to the mainstream. Modern Warfare made it the legend it is today.  It cannot be overstated how strong the influence of Modern Warfare is on the entire realm of gaming. It basically single-handedly changed the setting of every mainstream shooter overnight by taking it out of WW2, and into the modern world. This was the beginning of the Golden Age for Call of Duty.

Honorable Mentions – Mass Effect, Team Fortress 2

2008 – Braid

This one is a bit out of left field, but hear me out. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an indie title by the guy who would later develop The Witness. It’s a puzzle platformer built around being able to rewind time and interact with your “shadows”. It’s actually a really great game, but the reason why I thought of it is because of how we are seeing the process of game development change. Think of all the indie darlings that are out nowadays. Undertale, Stardew Valley, games like those. I’m willing to bet their success has a direct link to Braid. Braid was really the first indie darling that sold on a major console. Its impact is understated, but I think it’s far more important than even it lets on.

Honorable Mentions – Fallout 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Spelunky

2009 – Minecraft

I hate Minecraft. I don’t like games that just toss you in the world, and drunkenly say “here’s a stick; go make stuff!” But, I cannot deny the indelible mark Minecraft has left not just on gaming, but on society. It basically invented the survival/crafting genre. How many of these games I’ve listed literally INVENTED their genre?! Granted, the full build wasn’t dropped until 2011, but Wikipedia lists its initial release at 2009, and I’m going by initial release dates.

Honorable Mention – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Plants Vs. Zombies, Angry Birds

2010 – Red Dead Redemption

There was no way it was not this. The game that was made purely for the art. The game that never expected to make its money back, but did. The game that was made simply to prove that Rockstar San Diego could make a good game. And they did. Goddamn they did.
Honorable Mention – Amnesia: The Dark Descent

2011 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

It will never not be this. It’s been re-released so many times that it was always going to be this. Do I even need to explain why it’s this? No? Good, moving on.

Honorable Mention – Dark Souls

2012 – The Walking Dead

This is another one kind of out of left field, but hear me out again. Think about how massive Telltale became before it burned out in a glorious flame. It seemed like they were a legitimate juggernaut, dragging what were effectively Visual Novels into the mainstream of gaming, and it all started with this game. Sure, it would later turn out they were overleveraged and crashed and burned spectacularly, but it can’t be denied that for a brief moment in time, they were legendary.

Honorable Mentions – XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Far Cry 3, Hotline Miami

2013 – Grand Theft Auto Online

This one makes me want to grind my teeth in frustration, but I have to give credit to what is the most profitable game of all-time. In terms of important games, GTA continues to be a juggernaut in the gaming space, cackling from its throne as other games try and fail to rise up against it. GTA Online just proves how strong the series truly is.

Honorable Mentions – Warframe, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

2014 – Five Nights at Freddy’s

It was never not going to be this, was it? Yeah, this game kind of exploded onto the scene out of nowhere, and became a wildfire hit series basically from the word go. It changed the way indie games were viewed single-handedly, and horror as well. While it is a jump scare fest, it cultivates an atmosphere worthy of the genre, and while I don’t get it, I cannot deny its impact.

Honorable Mention – Alien: Isolation

2015 – Undertale

Ah, Undertale. Coming out of nowhere to take the world by storm. An innovative combat system, a heartfelt story, and an interesting system of endings combined to make one of the best games ever released, and considering the competition on this list, that’s saying something.

Honorable Mentions – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

2016 – Pokemon Go

I…hate that I have to say this. I hate that I have to give this year to a mobile game, but it’s not fair for me to not include mobile games for seemingly no reason. In terms of impact, this game was nuclear. It just goes to show that people still love Pokemon.

Honorable Mentions – Doom, Overwatch, Stardew Valley

2017 – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Amnesia showed that Survival Horror still had an audience. Resident Evil 7 showed that Survival Horror could still be mainstream. Yes, by going old school and back to its roots, Resident Evil 7 became a massive hit, and knocked it out of the park for the RE Engine, paving the way for Capcom to come out with hit after hit for the next few years.

Honorable Mentions –  Nier: Automata, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2018 – Fortnite Battle Royale

This may or may not break my “initial release” rule, but Wikipedia does list them as separate games, so I’m going with that. But yeah, it can’t be understated how much Fortnite has changed gaming in the public eye, for good or for ill. Sidenote: I was discussing this subject with a friend, and he was absolutely INFURIATED that I could possibly put this game here, but my criteria force my hand.

Honorable Mentions - Monster Hunter: World, God of War

2019 – The Outer Worlds

I would like to note that my criteria make this choice hazy at best. Simply put, who knows what will be considered the most important game of that year. But, if I have to choose one, The Outer Worlds would be it, what with them basically beating Bethesda at their own game. It’s a wonderful FPS RPG, go play it. I’m out!

Honorable Mentions – Disco Elysium

Edit: I had to fix 2000-2002 because I made a mistake in my research.