Current Events > Best Game of 1999

(+) Yeah! (+)

And we get to the end of the decade with Ocarina of Time taking an overwhelming win despite 1998 being a god tier year for gaming. But what about 1999? Personally I don't think 1999 is as strong as the past two years so I think we'll see a more even spread of results here.

Again, I'm going off the data on Game rankings, taking the most highly reviewed games with 10 professional reviews or more. If you're curious about what other games came out in 1999: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_in_video_games

Best Game of 1995: Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Best Game of 1996: Super Mario 64 (N64)
Best Game of 1997: Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
Best Game of 1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

No Best Game of 1994 thread?

CastletonSnob1 posted...

No Best Game of 1994 thread?

I thought going back 30 years was enough - although it would be interesting to see the results for games around in the NES era.

Other: Donkey Kong 64.

Also, Mario Bros Deluxe but no Spyro 2 or Pokemon Gold and Silver?

hivebent4life posted...

Other: Donkey Kong 64.

Also, Mario Bros Deluxe but no Spyro 2 or Pokemon Gold and Silver?

No Ape Escape either.

Grandia

Donkey Kong 64

Other: ...Pick one.
Because I'd put Super Smash Bros, Spyro 2, Rayman 2, Pokemon Silver/Gold, Final Fantasy VIII, Chrono Cross, Donkey Kong 64, Resident Evil 2, Jet Force Gemini, heck even Toy Story 2, all over literally every other game on this list.

Tony Hawk is good too I guess.

Edit: Eh, to be fair, I haven't played most of ones here.

Super Smash Bros

None of the above - it's Planescape: Torment.

CTR of course

Tony Hawk is good but Spyro 2 and Chrono Cross, Smash Bros, why not lost those i stead of Super Mario Deluxe?

Pokemon Gold/Silver

I'll be the lone vote for Alpha Centauri. It has some problems but I always liked it. I really like the conceit that it's about humans who settle an alien world and break into factions not by nationality but by differing philosophies. So you have hypercapitalists, intellectuals, environmentalists, an extremely religious faction, etc. each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Soul Reaver

Didn't FF9 come out this year?

tripleh213 posted...

Didn't FF9 come out this year?

I thought FF8 did?

Everquest is missing from the list.

Glob posted...

I thought FF8 did?

It did. 9/9/99. Although I see some information conflictign and saying the 7th now but I always thought 9.9.

Joke of a list then

Of the games in the list THPS. It helped kick off an entire genre of xtreme sports games and introduced kids and teens to a lot of great music.

I have to go off script and say Silent Hill.

I understand you are using game rankings site but for 1999 my top 3 arent even in this list and while I understand why 2 of them wouldnt be I consider it egregious 1 of them wouldnt be on the list. 1999 sticks out vividly to me because I came home in May after being discharged from my service in the Navy and made two of the best blind purchases Ive ever made.

Silver Star Story Complete had been out just a couple days
Legend of Legaia had been out a couple months.

Two absolute favorites. I can understand not counting Lunar as it had different versions released as early as 1996. Then later that fall a game came out I was waiting on. I had loved the first game and was excited for the second game. Its considered the best in the series by most fans and one of the best RPGs of the era for sure.

Suikoden II This is the one Im shocked isnt even on the list. Some would put it as the best game on ps1 and era and in the running for best RPG of all time. All of that can be debated but to not even make the top 10 of the year? That is an egregious omission. So yeah I understand you have a source you are using but when that source doesnt have one of the best games ever in the top 10 for the year I have to shake my head.

Does this list only go by when it was first released so they consider Suikoden II a 1998 game because in Japan it released in December of 98? I dont remember seeing the topic for the 98 list so I dont know if it was listed there. To me as a North American gamer its a 99 release. The only scenario I can imagine Suikoden II not even making a top 10 game of the year list is if its considered a different year.

Ultimately I guess this is why I havent paid attention to the professional review numbers. The discrepancy between review numbers and what is considered top games by fans is often different. I have never seen a list of top ps1 RPGs where Suikoden II hasnt been really high on the list yet cant even get a top 10 spot for the single year by these professional review numbers.

Other

I can understand why some are annoyed that their preferred games aren't on the list and I can only apologise for that but I'm only going off the top 10 best reviewed games of that year (with 10+ professional reviews). If anyone has any better ways for the year 2000, then let me know.

tripleh213 posted...

Didn't FF9 come out this year?

That was 2000.

archizzy posted...

Suikoden II

Oh yeah, this too, if it would count.

Trelve posted...

I can understand why some are annoyed that their preferred games aren't on the list and I can only apologise for that but I'm only going off the top 10 best reviewed games of that year (with 10+ professional reviews). If anyone has any better ways for the year 2000, then let me know.

Not annoyed with you, anyhow. More annoyed with the reviewers than anything. The other years weren't as bad as this one.
It's kind of interesting in its own dumb way, imo. Seeing what they thought was good.

Although... looking at the wikipedia page's list, sorted by ranking, Chrono Cross should've been in the middle there I think?

By no means am I annoyed at you. Please dont take it that way. Also Im not some over the top Suikoden fanboy that is angry. Im really not bothered. I just do find it legitimately eye opening on how a game that consistently places extremely high on best ps1 games of all time cant even crack the top 10 of a single year by pro reviews

It just truly emphasizes the divide that often exists between critics with review scores and your average fan. Thats all. The only reason it even stuck out to me is how vividly I remember 1999 after coming home from the military.

Keep doing what youre doing. Its fun and I enjoy it.

Silent Hill

CTR was so damn good but GT2 did more for its genre, imo.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is one of the greatest games ever made.

not a very good list of options there, SC and UT are good, voted UT but it's later down the list if we add all the many better games that came out that brilliant year

Silent Hill, Syphon Filter, Final Fantasy VIII, Omega Boost, Bloody Roar 2, Quake II (PSX), Tai Fu Wrath of the Tiger, Soul Reaver, Kingsley's Adventure, Evil Zone, Crazy Taxi, Retro Force, Killer Loop, Rollcage, Warzone 2100, V-Rally 2, Aironauts, Battle Arena Toshinden 4, Dino Crisis, Demolition Racer, wip3out, Star Ixiom, G-Police Weapons of Justice, Silent Bomber, Jurassic Park Warpath, Medal of Honor, Outtrigger, LEGO Rock Raiders, Interstate 82, Eagle One Harrier Attack, Sword of the Berserk Guts Rage, Koudelka, Shenmue, Vigilante 8 2nd Offense, Gundam Side Story 0079 Rise from the Ashes just to name a few

tripleh213 posted...

Didn't FF9 come out this year?

Yeah, weve got to re do the list with FF9 and Silent Hill. Those were iconic games

Of this list, Crash Team Racing and it isn't even close.

Literally doesn't include any good games on the poll, like AOE2 is the best we get? Really? Did you look at games that came out in 99 and only chose the meh ones?

FF9 was 7-7-00

Payzmaykr posted...

Yeah, weve got to re do the list with FF9 and Silent Hill. Those were iconic games

FF9 is awesome but came out in 2000. I remember the window specifically because I bought a PS2 on launch day at the end of October and played it just a few weeks later in mid November. (United States releases)

FF8 was in 99 which it certainly has its fans but was the only dud to me in that amazing run of top tier ones from FF6 to FFX including Tactics.

BlackScythe0 posted...

Literally doesn't include any good games on the poll. Did you look at games that came out in 99 and only chose the meh ones?

FF9 was 7-7-00

I picked the highest reviewed games from that year. Silent Hill for example doesn't even make the top 20, let alone top 10.

Blame the critics, not me! I'll be moving to Metacritic for 2000 onwards, as they didn't have a lot of data for before then.

Smash Bros., had way too much fun with this one. Voted SoulCalibur of the listed titles, that was a good one.

Starcraft: Brood War. That game is still being played in South Korean pro tournaments, and on the ladder.

Trelve posted...

Blame the critics, not me! I'll be moving to Metacritic for 2000 onwards, as they didn't have a lot of data for before then.

https://www.metacritic.com/browse/game/all/all/1999/metascore/?page=1

There's much overlap. That shouldn't be a surprise since meta is an aggregate.

I think you should use your judgement and the availability of hindsight to switch in/out a notable game.

For example, Morrowind isn't in Meta's top 10 for 2002 ...it should be one of the options.

What do you remove? I'd start with the franchise sports games.

Of these, THPS

But Star Ocean: The Second Story

Suikoden 2

MartavisBryant posted...

Pokemon Gold/Silver

THPS2 from the list, but it has to go to Pokmon.

Age of Empires II should be doing better.