Your GOTY from past years...

I know it's still early to be talking about GOTY, even though barring a second surprise from Namco, I'm 75% sure what my GOTY will be. But what about our GOTYs of past years?

If we did this once upon a time back on 1UP, forgive me, but I think this topic would be interesting to revisit even if we did.

Anyway, I'll start, with my GOTY and the runner-up for the year.

1990: Super Mario Bros. 3
1991: Final Fantasy IV; Runner-up: Sonic the Hedgehog
1992: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past; Runner-up: Sonic 2
1993: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening; Runner-up: Secret of Mana
1994: Super Metroid; Runner-up: Final Fantasy VI
1995: Chrono Trigger; Runner-up: Super Mario World 2
1996: Super Mario 64; Runner-up: Super Mario RPG
1997: Final Fantasy VII; Runner-up: Mario Kart 64
1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; runner-up: Xenogears
1999: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete; runner-up: Final Fantasy VIII
2000: Final Fantasy IX; runners-up: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Lunar 2
2001: Final Fantasy X; Runners-up: Metal Gear Solid 2; GTA III
2002: Metroid Prime; Runners-up: Kingdom Hearts, Virtua Fighter 4
2003: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; runner-up: Soulcalibur II (Gamecube version)
2004: Tales of Symphonia; runner-up: Metroid Prime 2
2005: Dragon Quest VIII; runner-up: Resident Evil 4
2006: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; runners-up: Final Fantasy XII, Okami
2007: Virtua Fighter 5 Online; runner-up: Rogue Galaxy
2008: Valkyria Chronicles; runners-up: Fallout 3, Tales of Vesperia
2009: Demon's Souls; runner-up: Dragon Quest V, Punch-Out!! Wii
2010: Fallout: New Vegas; runners-up: Yakuza 3, Bayonetta, Valkyria Chronicles II
2011: Yakuza 4; runner-up: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Dragon Quest VI, Catherine
2012: Tales of Graces f; runners-up: Xenoblade, The Last Story

Oh my god, you have such a good memory. WHAT WAS RELEASED LAST YEAR?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW!!!

I'll make a list but it will be from memory. So release dates don't count. Just what I played in that approximate year starting with my first recollections of gaming. Basically what I'm saying is fuck doing research ;P

Also, who calls it SMW2 instead of Yoshi's Island besides you? I commend you on that, sir.

Since I've been keeping track and playing enough games to have a reasonable opinion:

2008 - MGS4 (Bioschock, GTA 4)

2009 - Killzone 2 (Dragon Age Origins, Batman AA)

2010 - Heavy Rain (Transformers War for Cybertron, MAG)

2011 - Dark Souls (Batman AC, LA Noire) <--- Such an awesome year!

2012 - Xcom (Mass Effect 3, Spec Ops The Line)

As for this year... fuck me. It's a rough, rough year. All I've played is Sly, Crysis 3 and Bioshock. So I guess Bioschock Infinite. Nothing on the horizon either except for launch titles in the fall and Beyond.

Italicized games are game of the gen. Going to go with every year of my life.
1991- Super Mario World (Super Castlevania IV)
1992- Sonic 2 (Zelda: A Link to the Past)
1993- Zelda: Link's Awakening (Sonic CD)
1994- Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Donkey Kong Gameboy)
1995- [b] Chrono Trigger (Donkey Kong Country 2)
1996- Metal Slug (Crash Bandicoot, NiGHTS, Super Mario 64)
1997- Crash Bandicoot 2 (Croc: Legend of the Gobbos)
1998- Crash Bandicoot Warped (Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
1999- Crash Team Racing (Wario Land 2)
2000- Pokemon Gold/Silver (Skies of Arcadia)
2001- Halo (Zelda: Oracle of Seasons)
2002- Metroid Prime (Metroid Fusion)
2003- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
2004- Star Wars Kotor 2: The Sith Lords (Metal Gear Solid 3, Metroid Zero Mission and WAY too many others to count)
2005- Jade Empire (Zelda: The Minish Cap, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Resident Evil 4)
2006- Elite Beat Agents (Zelda: Twilight Princess)
2007- Mass Effect (Super Mario Galaxy, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl)
2008- Fallout 3 (Persona 4)
2009- Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Uncharted 2)
2010- Mass Effect 2 (Super Mario Galaxy 2, Pokemon: Heartgold/Soul Silver...I really do just want the same old shit over and over)
2011- Dark Souls (Portal 2, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Saints Row: The Third)
2012- Mass Effect 3 (Pokemon Black/White 2)
2013- The Last of Us (Rayman Legends, Pokemon X/Y, Rogue Legacy)
2014-Dragon Age: Inquisition (Bayonetta 2, Smash Bros for Wii U)
2015- Bloodborne (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid V)
2016- Pokemon Sun/Moon (Overwatch, Ace Attorney 6)
2017- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Sonic Mania, Styx: Shards of Darkness)

I remember really liking Croc back in the day, but feel it may not have aged well. It had weird controls from what I recall.

I will work on this soon. I don't remember them all, that is for sure.

I just saw Croc a couple months ago and it just reminded me how much I loved it as a kid. Haven't played it in years though, so it might be the same for me.

@Kay- I won't kill you, just knock you out, reenact a few torture scenes from Tarantino movies, and ship you to North Korea. I'm not a sociopath after all. Also Alice came out in 2011. You should change that.

Kayshire Cat wrote:FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUU It's probably not the last thing I forgot either.

I forgot a few games myself.

pspiddy wrote:I'll make a list but it will be from memory. So release dates don't count. Just what I played in that approximate year starting with my first recollections of gaming. Basically what I'm saying is fuck doing research ;P

Also, who calls it SMW2 instead of Yoshi's Island besides you? I commend you on that, sir.

Super Mario World 2 was what I knew it as, and that's what it remains in my mind.

My problem is I always play games late...so I don't know what games I actually played in what years.

First world problems.

I'm stealing Greenman's format. Doing as many years of my life as possible, and game of the generation is in italics. Also, I'm using metacritic and wikipedia to check dates but they seem to be missing a lot of games

1992 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (Chrono Trigger)
1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Goldeneye 007
1998 - Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Half-Life/Metal Gear Solid)
1999 - Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
2000 - Zelda: Majora's Mask
2001 - Halo (SSX Tricky)
2002 - Timesplitters 2 (NFS Hot Pursuit 2) I barely played anything from this year
2003 - SSX 3 (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)
2004 - Half-Life 2 (Metal Gear Solid 3 and god knows how many other games)
2005 - Shadow of the Colossus (Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory/Star Wars Battlefront 2)
2006 - Okami (Half-Life 2: Episode 1) slow year. Episode 1 wasn't even that good
2007 - Portal (Mass Effect)
2008 - Persona 4 (MGS4)
2009 - Uncharted 2 (Killzone 2)
2010 - Mass Effect 2 (Just Cause 2)
2011 - Portal 2 (Dark Souls/Catherine/TrackMania 2)
2012 - Spelunky (The Walking Dead/Mark of the Ninja)
2013 - The Last of Us (The Stanley Parable)

I used GameFAQS for the dates. I just searched what I remember playing the most. I didn't include Atari consoles or arcade. My favorite year is in bold.

1986- Super Mario Bros.
1987- Legend of Zelda
1988- Castlvania II: Simon's Quest (Contra)
1989- Tecmo Bowl (Ghouls 'n Ghosts)
1990- Super Contra
1991- Sonic (Arcus Odyssey, ActRaiser)
1992- Toejam and Earl (Sonic 2)
1993- Star Fox
1994- Super Street Fighter II
1995- NHL '95
1996- Resident Evil (Wipeout XL, Civ II, SM64)
1997- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Ghost in the Shell, TR II, FFVII, StarFox64)
1998- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Resident Evil 2, MGS)
1999- Lunar: SSSC
2000- Tekken Tag Tournament (Final Fantasy IX)
2001- Rogue Leader (Final Fantasy X, MGS2, Ico)
2002- REmake (SkyGunner, GTA: VC, Super Monkey Ball 2)
2003- Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Final Fantasy XI, SW: Galaxies)
2004- World of Warcraft
2005- Shadow of the Colossus
2006- Twilight Princess (LocoRoco, Oblivion)
2007- Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
2008- Fallout 3 (Crisis Core, Patapon)
2009- Demon's Souls (Monster Hunter Freedom Unite)
2010- Red Dead Redemption (Just Cause 2)
2011- Batman: Arkham City (Skyrim)
2012- FTL: Faster Than Light (Unfinished Swan, Sound Shapes)
2013- Ni No Kuni (unless PSOII comes out on Vita,this entry is definitive)

There's a ton of games I'm sure I'm forgetting. Also, HOLY FUCK I'VE BEEN GAMING FOREVER!!! This list not only makes me feel old, but shows me how I could own that '71 Charger I've always wanted

Where on GameFAQs did you go?

Krubixcube wrote:Where on GameFAQs did you go?

I just used the search bar, found the game and platform and then went to the main page for that game. It was a long process and probably not very efficient, but that's how I did it.

My favorite gaming years were 1994 (Super Metroid, FFVI, MKII SNES, and DKC), 1998(OoT, Xenogears, FF Tactics, Resident Evil 2, Tekken 3), and 2006 (Twilight Princess, FFXII, Okami, among other games).

How in the hell did I forget Super Metroid?!

*edit* My wife just pointed out I forgot Parappa The Rappa...1997 is the best year by far.

2004 is the best. Kotor 2, Metroid: Zero Mission, MGS3, Pokemon Firered/Leafgreen, Counter Strike: Source, Halo 2, Sly 2, Ratchet: UYA, Jak 3, and GTA:SA. That's about as good as a top 10 list can get and there's so much variety between all the games.

To keep things simple, I've gone with the US release dates. In previous generations, games would regularly come out here in Europe a couple of months after the US, so some of these dates feel off to me (FFIX was a 2001 release in Europe, for example, MGS3 was 2005 etc.).

1991 was the year of my first console, a Master System 2, so that seems as good a place as any to start.

1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog (MS)
1992 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (MD)
1993 - I'm struggling .......
1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Road Rash 3, Sega Rally Championship (I can't decide)
1996 - Virtua Cop 2
1997 - Final Fantasy VII (Age of Empires, Final Fantasy Tactics, NBA Live '97, Grand Theft Auto.... I need to write a blog post about all the hours I've lost to games from '97)
1998 - Metal Gear Solid
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2
2002 - TimeSplitters 2
2003 - Final Fantasy XI
2004 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
2005 - TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
2006 - Final Fantasy XII
2007 - Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (1997 is too crowded, so I went with the definitive version)
2008 - Metal Gear Solid 4
2009 - Uncharted 2
2010 - Mass Effect 2 (just beats out Red Dead Redemption)
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012 - Mass Effect 3

@TMW- I really did LOL to your 1993.

'97 and '98 were some badass gaming years; Sort of a renaissance of technology and creativity. These past few years are nothing to scoff at either.

1997 was a very good year indeed. There was Final Fantasy VII.... ummm, I'm sure there was other stuff, but there was definitely FFVII.

I literally cannot even begin to remember what I played when...so I give up. But it is interesting to look back.

It also makes me feel old...and I'm not old.

2012 was pretty good for me. Tales of Graces f, The Last Story, Xenoblade, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. But 2013 is shaping up pretty well. Ni no Kuni is my GOTY unless Tales of Xillia turns out to be supremely awesome. Bioshock Infinite is pretty good, too.

I'll go back to 2000 for now. The earlier years I didn't really keep track of. Nothing from 2002 is standing out in my mind at the moment either. Also I'd go with 2004 as my favorite year. Put some runners up in parentheses and tied a couple because I'm lame!

2000: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
2001: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
2002: I'll have to look this year up I think! Maybe Sly Cooper 1? I feel like there is something better I'm forgetting though.
2003: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Jak II)
2004: Jak 3 (Ratchet & Clank Up Your Arsenal)
2005: Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (Shadow of the Colossus)
2006: Okami/The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2007: Hmmm... I said Uncharted 1 back then, but maybe Tomb Raider: Anniversary now? Not sure. I think Anni sticks with me more now maybe.
2008: Mirror's Edge (LittleBigPlanet) I definitely had these reversed back then, but Mirror's Edge is a no brainer pick now.
2009: Uncharted 2 (Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time)
2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light)
2011: Uncharted 3 (Rayman Origins)
2012: Far Cry 3/Mark of the Ninja

Kayshire Cat wrote:2013 is looking pretty great too. Had Tomb Raider, MGR, DmC, Neptunia V, Ayesha, and Injustice is coming up next week, After that I'm looking at Time and Eternity, and maybe Fuse, but that might be a gamble.

Then in August we're getting Xillia, Saints Row 4, and Killer is Dead. I'm locking myself in my room that month.

Forgot about Time and Eternity. Killer is Dead looks interesting, I'll look into that one.