Best Year for Gaming in the 90's?

[Blueguy1]

Guess who's back? Back again? Blueguy's back. Tell a friend.

......

Anyways, what do you think was the best year between 1990 and 1999 for video games during that decade?

Frankly, I think you could make a case for every year. The quality of games and innovation coming out in the 90's was strong and prevalent in every year. The early/mid 90's were known for high quality 2D games, while the mid/late 90's were known for being a more mature and edgy side of things, resulting in the release of many memorable games.. Even in 1995 and 1996 when a lot of 3D games were struggling to adapt from 2D, there was still a string of super quality games on all platforms at the time (PS1, N64, Saturn, Snes, Game Boy, etc.). Many even say 1998 was the best year in video games ever.

I myself will probably go with 1999. That was when a load of good games were released; Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, Jet Force Gemini, DK 64, Beetle Adventure Racing, Shadowman, and others for the N64. The PS1 was going strong, Hydro Thunder was one of the biggest arcade games EVER (and still is), Pokemon Yellow was released along with the Game Boy Color, and...The Sega Dreamcast launched in 1999. Extremely good year for games, though like I said earlier you could make a case for any year.

Your thoughts?

[Jon1]

The 90's were a great decade for video games. I feel confident in saying that 1995 was the best year. I still look back with fondness reading magazines like Gamepro back then. There were so many consoles out at the time, and a lot of them were mysterious too. I remember reading about the 3do and the Jaguar and being fascinated. Not only that, but the Neo Geo was putting out amazing games around that time, as well as the Snes and Genesis. I don't want to get off topic, but I'm a huge grunge fan, and that was a great, great time for music back then too, with bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and others putting out awesome music. If you were a video game fan and a rock and roll fan, it was the best time, period. 

[VideoGameCritic]

I celebrate the entire decade but I would lean toward 1993 as being the best.  Why?  Well, you had two awesome systems (Genesis and SNES) going head-to-head, banging out the best 2D games that would ever be made.  Plus there were tons of other systems in the process of coming out.  Most were duds but the promise of CD games, 3D graphics, and virtual reality was intriguing.  Also, the magazines were absolutely HUGE.  I'd love to go back!

[Rev1]

I have to agree that the whole decade is solid but I would also lean towards 93'. This was the biggest console rivalry of all time and there was a plethora of strong titles released during this time. 

[starblazers1]

1993

[GameChanger161]

1991 for me

Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter II, F-Zero, Super Castlevania IV, Golden Axe II. 

That's impressive

[Jon1]

You know, after thinking about it, 1993 was a great time; with 3d on the horizon, the future seemed bright. However, the Snes/Genesis rivalry didn't mean as much to me as it did to others. After playing the Neo Geo, the limitations of those 2 systems really bothered me. Maybe I'd go with 1994. It was before the Jag and 3do totally flopped, and the PS1 and "Ultra 64" were all over the magazines. It was an exciting time, all of those years. 

[Burk1]

1994- PS1 is released. 'Nuff said.

[VideoGameCritic]

Wasn't that 1995?