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Best year in videogame history, 1997 or 1998?

2

Comments

  • #32
    waynescales1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,965 ✭✭✭waynescales1


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084345#Comment_119084345

    "Your appointment to FEMA should be finalised within the week..."



  • #33
    waynescales1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,965 ✭✭✭waynescales1


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119084073#Comment_119084073

    Yeah I remember this conversation alright. The monotony of the environments was TR1's biggest weakness, and the variety of location in TR2 was what took Tomb Raider to the next level.



  • #34
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,526 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Which was the one with the Cistern level, that was a fantastic use of 3D space.

    Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, was another stone cold classic



  • #35
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087428#Comment_119087428

    First game. That was a genius bit of level design and I remember it bringing my brand new Power VR 3D card to its knees at the time. Some really great puzzles in that game. The water wheel and waterfall, The submerged egyptian statues, the church with the trials based on myths, Lara's mirror. Surprised how well it held up as was expecting something clunkier.

    Shite boss battles tough!

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  • #36
    Skerries
    Registered Users Posts: 12,295 ✭✭✭✭Skerries


    98 had some radical and bodacious games man!

    Half Life - that opening scene on the train that would have normally been a cut scene was now interactive

    Resident Evil 2 - a perfect game just got a killer sequel

    Metal Gear Solid - who hasn't had their phone notifications to one of the many memorable sounds from that game

    StarCraft - Zerg Rush!

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  • #37
    Markus Antonius
    Registered Users Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭Markus Antonius


    Kinda depressing that it was all downhill from there. A slight glimmer of hope in 2011 but then dropped again. Maybe it's more a reflection of life changing over the years and just getting older...


    You could easily have a 19, 20, 21 year old say that 2007 or 2008 were the greatest years...



  • #38
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    There actually is a lot of talk that 2008 and 2011 was the best year ever but when ever I look at the list it's one or two stand out triple A, sone good indie and a lot of over rated big publisher games that are 'grand'.

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  • #39
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    I'm not familiar at all with post 2000 game release dates really - don't get me wrong I've played a lot of games since then, but if you asked me to tell you what year X game on the Xbox 360 was released for example, I wouldn't have a bean.

    Just looking at 2008 though and it's actually fairly decent alright, a lot of the standouts seem to be sequels - Fallout 3, GTA IV, MGS IV, Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Red Alert 3, Persona 4, Fable 2.

    I think maybe that's why the 90s dates stand out to me a lot, they seem to form a lot of the new IP bedrock that lots of games since have come out of with countless sequels.

    Saying that, 2008 did have Mirror's Edge, which I absolutely loved.



  • #40
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,874 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    Fifa 97 was a great game, it was bad then for a few years after that.



  • #41
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088395#Comment_119088395

    I'll make it easy for you. In retrospect GTA4 , MGS4 and Mario Kart Wii are very weak. Brawl I liked but the fighting game community HATE! it. And While I liked Fallout 3, it always came up short for me and New Vegas is the game is should have been.

    2009 is regarded as a strong year as well.

    I'd have to maybe look back at 2008 and 2009 and take into account handhelds as well as they normally get ignored but there was a huge number of great games out on the DS and PSP at the time.

    I just feel triple A quality has really gone downhill lately and the best triple A games wouldn't have been 6/7/8 out of 10 games if they had come out in the 90s. But you also have to take into account indie which has just been a phenomenal game changer.

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  • #42
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088477#Comment_119088477

    If I remember correctly, the Fifa games were always considered complete scutter on PS1 by people that knew their football and they would be championing ISS and Pro Evo. I knew a few old school regulars would be importing the japanese j-league versions of the games rather than play Fifa.

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  • #43
    Quigs Snr
    Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭Quigs Snr


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088525#Comment_119088525

    Correct. ISS / Pro Evo was where it was at for footie fans throughout the PS1 era and deep into the PS2 era.



  • #44
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088517#Comment_119088517

    I always completely forget about handhelds with these things. The DS IMO has potentially the greatest handheld library out there, was an absolute golden age for handheld gaming. In fact during that era I probably spent more time with my DS than any other console.

    Just looking at a list of 2008 DS games, Some crackers from that year:

    The World Ends With You, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Professor Layton, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Space Invaders Extreme, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Bangai-O Spirits,  Soul Bubbles,  Metal Slug 7 and even the Chrono Trigger rerelease.

     



  • #45
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    I still think the DS is the best console ever made. Just look at the library and how many crackers there are and how diverse it is. PS1/PS2 is the only other systems you could argue against it.

    The PSP was also a cracking little system but it was kind of the Megadrive of its day. Brilliant library but not as well remembered because the competition was just so good.

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  • #46
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,874 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119088525#Comment_119088525

    I hated fifa, lived pro evolution but fifa97 was quite good



  • #47
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    I was an avid FIFA player until FIFA '98 ruined it for me and I made the switch to ISS/Pro Evo. It was much better for about the next 6 or 7 years until EA got their act together again.

    I must say, I'm in the 1996 camp myself, purely because I find those games made much more of a lasting impression:

    Quake 1, Tomb Raider 1, Res. Evil 1, C&C: Red Alert, Duke Nukem 3D, Tekken 2, Myst, The first couple of Pokemon games (though I wasn't into them at the time as they were for 'kids'), Crash Bandicoot, MK3, The sequel to wipeout, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64.......

    I was huge into arcades and arcade games at the time, spent all my spare money in them. A friend had Killer Instinct on the N64 and I hated him for it. A few that I found on the wiki........Daytona USA, Metal Slug, Point Blank, Decathlete, SF Alpha 2......quality.



  • #48
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    The west didn't get pokemon until 1998 I'm america and 1999 in Europe.

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  • #49
    speedboatchase
    Registered Users Posts: 5,774 ✭✭✭speedboatchase


    Tough but for me it has to be 1997. Bear in mind your list is missing the EU launch of the N64 and thus Super Mario 64 and Wave Race 64 (both originally released in 1996 elsewhere). Gran Turismo was 1998 in Europe.

    In terms of all-timers, 1997 has Super Mario 64, Final Fantasy VII and Goldeneye 007. 1998 has Half-Life, Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid.

    It's really down to personal preference. What is definite though is that those two years are the peak of what is the most transformative technological and creative leap in gaming software IMO. By comparison 1995 is too early for 32-bit (and 64-bit doesn't yet begin) and 1999 is too early in the next generation. There are obviously strong years since (2009 and 2012 stand out for me) but because of how long console generations are these days and how expensive games are to develop by comparison, you don't get the same level of concentration in AAA games - plus, genres are now tending to move inwards (borrowing systems like battle royale, etc) rather than expand and become their own thing.

    Post edited by speedboatchase on


  • #50
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    I think 2009 and 2012 we good years in terms of the PS360 era. They were as good as a bad year during the PS2 era.

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  • #51
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,526 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    The transition over from PS2 to 360 as the dominant console of the mid to late 00s was pretty ripe with great games, and the arrival of the Xbox Marketplace of independent games made them very accessible, rather than hoping some publisher would bring it to the PS2 on a budget brand.

    In that period I enjoyed the likes of Bayonetta, Bioshock, Demon's Souls, COD:MW and GTAIV, and they've left me with great memories of the period



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  • #52
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119298740#Comment_119298740

    Yeah that era really got me back into modern games after drifting away somewhat during the PS2 generation.

    Spent tonnes of time playing through Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3 / Fallout NV (and their expansions) and Dark Souls 1 & 2.

    The 360 also brought us the brilliance that was Deadly Premonition.

    My Wii and DS would have also been getting mountains of use back then too. Really was a great generation of games consoles which I don't give nearly the credit it deserves.



  • #53
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,526 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    My son maintains that Fallout NV and the DLC is one of the best games he has ever played, he is still hoping for a remaster someday. He considers the game the high water mark of the franchise



  • #54
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    Cidona has taste! 😁 It really was absolutely brilliant. I'll have to go back and give it another go some day, haven't actually played it since it was released. Actually I think I have it on Steam...

    Do you remember the hype around the Fallout 3 release? I was a huge Fallout 1& 2 fan which were both relatively unknown, so absolutely lost my mind when I heard Fallout 3 was going to be a massive open world game.



  • #55
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,526 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Fallout 3 was the one I played, back when I had that kind of time to invest, and I loved it.

    I remember the hype around Liam Neeson having a vocal cameo as your character's dad



  • #56
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302368#Comment_119302368

    It think Fallout 2 is the much better game but New Vegas is a close second. I actually can't really play Bethesda games because New Vegas really showed how good the games should have been. I liked Fallout 3 but it never came close to the level of writing in the old games and New Vegas really showed why.

    As for the DLC, I actually think the Fallout 3 DLC was excellent and the New Vegas DLC a little lacking. Fallout 3's 'the Pitt' is a strong standout for DLC content.

    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302635#Comment_119302635

    I remember the outcry about it more so. When it was initially shown the performance was awful and Bethesda weren't known for their writing at the time (and still aren't) so there was a lot of concern from fans about it being handled by another company. Initial hands on previews had concerns as well. It was kind of a surprise and relief when it was released and it turned out so well.

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  • #57
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    I've always felt really bad for the guys at Black Isle Studios. They created the first two Fallout games, released to moderate, cult success, then closed before their version of Fallout 3 is released.

    Studio's assets are bought out, Fallout 3 is released by another studio and becomes a household name.



  • #58
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,776 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119302992#Comment_119302992

    So much talent at Black Isle but a lot of them at least found their feet in other industries. It's just a shame they were releasing games during a weird time for PC gaming were it was mostly multiplayer focused and consoles had taken over. Pretty sure though Bethesda said they contacted the Black Isle guys off the record to ask them about them taking over Fallout 3 and they were all positive about it and glad it wasn't being forgotten.

    I still think Fallout wouldn't have become the household name without Bethesda. They had become a superstar developer with Oblivion which had the fortune of being released during a very dry early 360 spell so their next title was eagerly anticipated. It was also a really good game. The Fallout 3 gameplay was a lot more digestible for a wider audience than what Black Isle were doing.

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  • #59
    dav09
    Registered Users Posts: 753 ✭✭✭dav09


    Does anyone think games in the past 5 years (or even 10 to some extent) have become very stale and bland? Very few new IPs have been exciting, and those that did seemed to flop i.e. Cyberpunk, No Mans Sky, etc. Any new games I've liked have pretty much been sequels or remasters. I think the focus to make almost everything in Unity or Unreal Engine and one or two others has made a lot of games very similar to eachother in physics, design and graphics. Even the sequels that have come out most have seemed more like a graphical "wow", and then are filled with microtransactions and gimics like the newer Call Of Duty's, Need For Speed, etc. I know it's a little off topic but really haven't been excited by many new games anymore, seems like the best days of gaming have definitely came and gone, there was a good few games in 2016/2017/2018 great but since then have liked very few.



  • #60
    o1s1n
    Registered Users Posts: 34,367 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119303532#Comment_119303532

    Nintendo is my go to now for anything modern via the Switch. Xbox One sits under the TV disconnected gathering dust and Cyberpunk, Elden Ring and loads of other modern games sit installed on Steam unplayed.

    I'd like to go back to Elden Ring and Cyberpunk but I am just not arsed.

    Quite looking forward to playing through the new Kirby game once my missus is done with it and also want to give BOTW another play through (I've only actually played it on the WiiU) Both are infinitely more appealing to me.



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  • #61
    speedboatchase
    Registered Users Posts: 5,774 ✭✭✭speedboatchase


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119303532#Comment_119303532

    Definitely, and it's by design. For me the writing was on the wall when the very first title shown at the PS5 worldwide reveal was a port of GTA V, originally released nearly 10 years ago. Consider too, that Rockstar have made one new game since then and none are on the horizon. What a waste

    F2P is the model now and to have the widest audiences, you need your game to be cross-gen. Hence two years into the PS5's lifecycle, that rule affects single player titles too. The three biggest first-party titles this year (GT, Horizon 2, God of War 2) are all available on PS4 too. There is no incentive to create a true, next-gen experience out there.

    A wakeup call for me recently was watching the demo for The Callisto Protocol (crossgen, naturally) and noticing the gameplay is identical to Dead Space (2008). Nothing has really moved on and everything that felt new in the last 10 years (battle royale, roguelikes) are subsumed by the most popular existing brands and diluted. I haven't played anything that felt innovative in the AAA space since BotW and Death Stranding.



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