If you're just joining us, I have below, a list of my favorite video game that was released in each year from 1990 through 1999, and I recommend that you check out Part I of my Favorite Game of the Year, which also includes my reasoning behind using the North American release date for games as opposed to the release date in the country where the game was originally developed (more than likely being Japan).
So let's just get down to it then.
So let's just get down to it then.
1990: Final Fantasy (July 12, 1990)
Final Fantasy was the first game that I can distinctly recall being moved by the music; even though by 1990 I had already been letting the opening to Legend of Zelda play at least twice before actually starting the game. Early in the game, after the King of Coneria builds the bridge to allow access to the rest of the continent, the player is greeted with a prologue of sorts as well as the first introduction to what has become the Main Theme of the Final Fantasy series. Additionally, being able to create a party of unique characters that are basically blank slates for the player to fill in personality-wise was fun, coupled with what turned out to be a semi-complex story line involving time travel and paradox.
1991: Final Fantasy II (November 23, 1991)
By now we all know the reason behind Final Fantasy II on the SNES being renamed instead of using the actual Japanese title of Final Fantasy IV. This game, whenever I first played it, probably in 1993, is what truly made me wish that video game soundtracks in North America were something that existed. Plus the mechanic of dividing the main character from his main party was so mind boggling that at the time, I was convinced that everyone else was dead. The storytelling here is something that I wish I could re-experience for the first time.
1992: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (April 13, 1992)
Dr. Potts and I talked a bit about TLoZ:ALttP, when I was last down in Northern California, and we both concurred that this is what we both believe to be the quintessential Legend of Zelda game. The large over world map that basically doubles when you gain access to the Dark World, the music, the developed mythology from the previous games in the series all helped to create one of the better games on the SNES.
1993: Secret of Mana (October 3, 1993)
I feel just a little bad picking Secret of Mana for my favorite game of 1993, mainly because I never finished the game. I recall reaching a part where I knew that I needed to level up my characters and their skill with their respective weapons, then I reached a point where I didn't know where to go next; this was before the heyday of the Internet. But what I loved about Secret of Mana was the character design, the music, and the classic JRPG storyline of lone village kid being exiled for touching the legendary sword of old that had been holding the world's monsters at bay.
I feel just a little bad picking Secret of Mana for my favorite game of 1993, mainly because I never finished the game. I recall reaching a part where I knew that I needed to level up my characters and their skill with their respective weapons, then I reached a point where I didn't know where to go next; this was before the heyday of the Internet. But what I loved about Secret of Mana was the character design, the music, and the classic JRPG storyline of lone village kid being exiled for touching the legendary sword of old that had been holding the world's monsters at bay.
1994: Final Fantasy III (April 2, 1994)
There really is no question that Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) is one of my all time favorite video games, regardless of system. I believe I must have bought it shortly after it was first released since I had already fallen in love with Nobuo Uematsu's music by the time I left Jr. High in June of 1994. The combination of world building, story telling, and music helped to create a setting and characters that I will never forget.
There really is no question that Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) is one of my all time favorite video games, regardless of system. I believe I must have bought it shortly after it was first released since I had already fallen in love with Nobuo Uematsu's music by the time I left Jr. High in June of 1994. The combination of world building, story telling, and music helped to create a setting and characters that I will never forget.
1995: Chrono Trigger (August 22, 1995)
This year was particularly difficult, probably because I am finishing up the 2008 DS port of Chrono Trigger right now, but Tetris Attack, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest were all very close contenders. I think what pushed Chrono Trigger over the edge compared to the other games was the emotional impact that the game had on me when I first played through the game, as well as replaying it now. The music in all four of the above games were all enjoyable to listen to, but something about Yasunori Mitsuda's music is just so varied that I cannot help but love this game.
This year was particularly difficult, probably because I am finishing up the 2008 DS port of Chrono Trigger right now, but Tetris Attack, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest were all very close contenders. I think what pushed Chrono Trigger over the edge compared to the other games was the emotional impact that the game had on me when I first played through the game, as well as replaying it now. The music in all four of the above games were all enjoyable to listen to, but something about Yasunori Mitsuda's music is just so varied that I cannot help but love this game.
1996: Resident Evil (March 30, 1996)
The first Playstation game to grace my favorites list is a game that I first played in 1999. While the acting and voice acting in the first iteration was everything to laugh at, the world that was created in this game, and they were also the ones that coined the term "survival horror.". Anyway, at the time when I first played Resident Evil, I apparently got one of the rarer endings where you don't have a final showdown with Tyrant and I felt that that was an amazing way to end the game; and at the time I knew about Resident Evil III and had seen what Nemesis looked like and mistakenly thought that this was where that character came from; obviously wrong. And when Capcom released the remake on Game Cube in 2002, really solidified that Resident Evil was a damn good game.
The first Playstation game to grace my favorites list is a game that I first played in 1999. While the acting and voice acting in the first iteration was everything to laugh at, the world that was created in this game, and they were also the ones that coined the term "survival horror.". Anyway, at the time when I first played Resident Evil, I apparently got one of the rarer endings where you don't have a final showdown with Tyrant and I felt that that was an amazing way to end the game; and at the time I knew about Resident Evil III and had seen what Nemesis looked like and mistakenly thought that this was where that character came from; obviously wrong. And when Capcom released the remake on Game Cube in 2002, really solidified that Resident Evil was a damn good game.
1997: Goldeneye 007 (August 25, 1997)
I landed on Goldeneye 007 because once I bought that game and popped it into the N64, it did not leave for well over six months. I recall this specifically because I wrote to Rare complaining that they had created a game that made me lose interest in all other games that I had, to which they responded that they were happy to have created such a game. And even years after I took the game out, I still played it fairly consistently. Now I just need to get my N64 back up and working, or replaced.
I landed on Goldeneye 007 because once I bought that game and popped it into the N64, it did not leave for well over six months. I recall this specifically because I wrote to Rare complaining that they had created a game that made me lose interest in all other games that I had, to which they responded that they were happy to have created such a game. And even years after I took the game out, I still played it fairly consistently. Now I just need to get my N64 back up and working, or replaced.
1998: Final Fantasy Tactics (January 28, 1998)
Bloody hell 1998 was a powerhouse of a year for games I've loved. From Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, 1080° Snowboarding, Baldur's Gate, F-Zero X, Resident Evil 2, Pokémon Red, and Star Wars Rogue Squadron. Ultimately though, everything from the music to the mature level of story telling in FFT is what makes this game my favorite for 1998. Coupled with the fact that I bought Chreekat's PSP from him when he offered, mainly so that I could play the revamped game that was coming out later in 2007. Even writing about it now makes me want to play the game all over again, despite the stress that some specific battles cause me.
1999: Silent Hill (January 31, 1999)
And then 1999 hit and I apparently have only played a handful of games that were released, and of those that were released, I have only beaten two (Silent Hill, and Half-Life: Opposing Force), but neither of those games have I played multiple times. I enjoyed H-L:OF more than the first Half-Life, but that's not why we're here. Silent Hill genuinely made me anxious about a lot of areas in that game, even if some of the storyline was a little confusing and I did not complete all of the NPC's stories because I was too busy running away from whatever monstrosity was hunting me down. I even completed the game with the Bad Ending and have not had the stomach to attempt it again to get whatever semblance of a Good Ending is possible. Maybe in time.
And then 1999 hit and I apparently have only played a handful of games that were released, and of those that were released, I have only beaten two (Silent Hill, and Half-Life: Opposing Force), but neither of those games have I played multiple times. I enjoyed H-L:OF more than the first Half-Life, but that's not why we're here. Silent Hill genuinely made me anxious about a lot of areas in that game, even if some of the storyline was a little confusing and I did not complete all of the NPC's stories because I was too busy running away from whatever monstrosity was hunting me down. I even completed the game with the Bad Ending and have not had the stomach to attempt it again to get whatever semblance of a Good Ending is possible. Maybe in time.
So that was the decade where video games went from an 8-bit cartridge to Playstation games having upwards of 730 MB by the end of the 90s. The middle of this decade was particularly difficult to choose from, especially from 1995 - 1998. Truly what I consider to be the Golden Era of Video Games.
~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Instrumental
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