Fun Club List thread - What is your favorite game of each year?

[lemonfresh]

Here are mine

1985: Super Mario Bros
1986 : The Legend Of Zelda
1987: Zelda 2
1988: Mario 3
1989: Mario land
1990: Mario World
1991: Zelda LTTP
1992: Final Fantasy V
1993: Links awakening
1994: Super Metroid
1995: Kings Field
1996: Resident Evil
1997: Castlevania Sympony of the night
1998 : Ocarina Of time
1999: Silent Hill
2000: Majoras Mask
2001 : Silent Hill 2
2002: Metroid Prime
2003: Castlevania :Aria of Sorrow
2004 : Metroid Prime 2
2005: Resident Evil 4
2006: Zelda Twilight Princess
2007: Mario Galaxy
2008: Smash Bros Brawl
2009: Demons Souls
2010: Mario Galaxy 2
2011: Dark Souls
2012: Dragons Dogma
2013 : Link Between Worlds
2014: Dark Souls 2
2015 : Bloodborne
2016 : Final Fantasy XV
2017: Breath of the wild
2018: Smash Bros Ultimate
2019: Sekiro
2020: Final Fantasy 7 Remake
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Elden ring
2023: Tears of The kingdom
2024: Prime 4 (Hopefully)

 

[AngryAlchemist]

All of your least favorite ones. Yep, every single one. And the ones you like? Shit. Pure garbage. /s

In all seriousness, this is hard. I'm only going to include games I've beaten, and most of the games I've beaten in the last ~ 5 years, so the sample size is rather small. Games that will have a * next to them are games where I didn't have another game to list that year, but I still really liked the game enough to list it. Years where I don't like any of the games that much - like say the year Mario 64 or Mega Man 2 came out - are not going to have an entry.

1985: Super Mario Bros*
1986: Castlevania
1987: Mega Man
1988: Super Mario Bros Twooooooooooooooo
1989: N/A
1990: Castlevania III
1991: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1992: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1993: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994: Super Metroid
1995: Donkey Kong Country
1996: Resident Evil
1997: N/A (Symphony maybe?)
1998: Resident Evil 2
1999: Silent Hill
2000: N/A
2001: Silent Hill 2
2002: Metroid Prime
2003: N/A
2004: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
2005: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
2006: Dead Rising
2007: Halo 3
2008: N/A
2009: Dragon Age: Origins
2010: Halo: Reach
2011: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
2012: N/A
2013: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
2014: Resident Evil Remake HD
2015: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
2016: Hitman
2017: Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (If I beat BOTW, it might be here, Sonic Mania too after a replay)
2018: Red Dead Redemption II
2019: Devil May Cry V
2020: Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
2021: Monster Hunter Rise (...sorry Dread)
2022: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
2023: Resident Evil 4 Remake (...sorry Tears of the Kingdom)

Stats:
Games by Nintendo: 8
Games by Capcom: 10
Games by Both: 1
Games by Konami: 5

I'm too lazy to count the rest

Yes, I know I'm cheating by including remasters/re-releases, but it means I can cover more games I like.

 

[Buried In Time]

Spoiler: 1968-1979

1968 - Hamurabi
1969 - Lunar Lander
1970 - High Noon
1971 - The Oregon Trail
1972 - Pong
1973 - Space Race
1974 - TV Basketball
1975 - Dungeon
1976 - Breakout
1977 - Zork
1978 - Space Invaders
1979 - Galaxian

1980 - Pac-Man
1981 - Donkey Kong
1982 - Donkey Kong Jr.
1983 - Dragon's Lair
1984 - Karateka
1985 - Super Mario Bros.
1986 - Metroid
1987 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2
1989 - River City Ransom
1990 - Super Mario World
1991 - The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
1992 - Sonic The Hedgehog 2
1993 - The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1994 - Super Metroid
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
1998 - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
1999 - Shadow Man
2000 - The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2001 - Halo: Combat Evolved
2002 - Metroid Prime
2003 - Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow
2004 - Cave Story
2005 - Shadow Of The Colossus
2006 - The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2007 - Portal
2008 - BioShock
2009 - Demon's Souls
2010 - VVVVVV
2011 - Dark Souls
2012 - Dishonored
2013 - The Last Of Us
2014 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2015 - Bloodborne
2016 - Dark Souls III
2017 - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
2018 - Hollow Knight
2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
2020 - Hades
2021 - Metroid Dread
2022 - Elden Ring
2023 - The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

 

[Buried In Time]

Double post.

 

[smoothies]

We did this before, and it was a very good thread.

Here it is, for reference:

Your Retroactive GOTY for Every Year since 1985

 

[Irene]

Cross-posting from retroactive GOTY thread:

It's probably a bit muddled because of me probably mixing up US releases and European releases.

Nintendo dominating...

1985 - Super Mario Bros.
1986 - The Legend of Zelda
1987 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 3
1989 - Super Mario Land
1990 - Super Mario World
1991 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1992 - Super Mario Kart
1993 - Star Fox

Squaresoft chiming in...

1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Parasite Eve

Kojima chiming in...

1999 - Metal Gear Solid
2000 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
2002 - Super Mario Sunshine
2003 - Metroid Prime
2004 - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Fumito Ueda and DICE chiming in..

2005 - Shadow of the Colossus
2006 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
2008 - Mirror's Edge
2009 - The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
2012 - New Super Mario Bros. U
2013 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

And from here on out, things are just wildly varied, as I became more invested in gaming.

2014 - Bayonetta 2
2015 - Undertale
2016 - The House in Fata Morgana
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018 - Tetris Effect
2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
2020 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2021 - NieR: Replicant
2022 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Added after retroactive GOTY thread)

 

[Kreeth]

That took a while to do but here's mine!

1985: Super Mario Bros. (NES)
1986: The Legend of Zelda (NES)
1987: Bubble Bobble (NES)
1988: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
1989: Tetris (GB)
1990: Final Fight (SNES)
1991: A Link to the Past (SNES)
1992: Pocky & Rocky (SNES)
1993: Romancing SaGa 2 (SNES)
1994: EarthBound (SNES)
1995: Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within (PC)
1996: Tomb Raider (PS1)
1997: Castlevania: Sympony of the night (PS1)
1998 : Spice World (PS1) (YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO JUDGE ME!)
1999: Chrono Cross (PS1)
2000: Final Fantasy IX (PS1)
2001 : Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
2002: Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
2003: Disgaea (PS2)
2004 : The Minish Cap (GBA)
2005: Osu! Tatakae! Ōendan (NDS)
2006: Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
2007: Lost Odyssey (XB360)
2008: Rhythm Heaven (NDS)
2009: Bayonetta (XB360)
2010: Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
2011: Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP)
2012: The Secret World (PC)
2013 : A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
2014: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)
2015: Her Story (PC)
2016: Persona 5 (PS4)
2017: Breath of the Wild (NSW)
2018: Return of the Obra Dinn (PC)
2019: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (NSW)
2020: Grandia HD Remaster (NSW)
2021: Shin Megami Tensei V (NSW)
2022: Immortality (PC)
2023: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)

 

[BlackthornOrion]

Gonna start at 2023 and see how far back I can go (also I'm mostly going with North American dates where applicable)

The "Switch stays winning" era
2023 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
2021 - Metroid Dread (Switch)
2020 - Hades (Switch)
2019 - Tetris 99 (Switch)
2018 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch)
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

The "WiiU's OK, but I'm gonna start looking into this PC thing" era
2016 - technically Hitman: World of Assassination (PC), but I'm thinking of it in the 2023 "it's actually 3 games in one" sense; for an individual game from that year I'd say Stardew Valley (PC)
2015 - Rocket League (PC)
2014 - Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (WiiU)
2013 - Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)
2012 - Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

The "can you tell I bought a 360" era
2011 - Portal 2 (X360)
2010 - Red Dead Redemption (X360)
2009 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360)
2008 - Mirror's Edge (X360)
2007 - Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii)
2006 - New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

The Gamecube domination era
2005 - Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
2004 - Pokemon Leafgreen (GBA)
2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker (GCN)
2002 - Metroid Prime (GCN)
2001 - Luigi's Mansion (GCN)

The "mostly just stuff I had growing up" era
2000 - Zeus: Master of Olympus (PC)
1999 - Rocket: Robot on Wheels (N64)
1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
1997 - Lego Island (PC)
1996 - Super Mario 64 (N64)

The "before my time/release dates are kind of a mess" era
1995 - Yoshi's Island (SNES)
1994 - Super Metroid (SNES)
1993 - Doom (PC)
1992 - Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (GB)
1991 - Super Mario World (SNES)
1990 - The Secret of Monkey Island (PC)
1989 - Tetris (GB)
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
1987 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (NES)

 

[doodlewhizz]

The Pre-existence years - Haven't really explored this era too much but thanks to two older siblings I played a lot of King's Quest games in my childhood which still stick with me
1983: Alley Cat
1984: King's Quest: Quest For the Crown
1985: Super Mario Bros
1986 : King's Quest III: To Heir is Human
1987: Don't think I've actually played a game released in 1987

I'll take what I can get - Most of these are games I never sought out, but instead inherited from siblings or played around other people's houses. You might think I was a big SNES fan going by this but I can't think of many other games I played for those years and while they're not bad games I don't really have any real affinity for the Marios or Zeldas listed here.
1988: King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella
1989: Prince of Persia
1990: Super Mario World
1991: Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
1992: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
1993: Sam and Max Hit The Road
1994: Final Fantasy VI

doodlewhizz, Console Owner - okay, I didn't actually get my first console until 1997 but I played my favourite games of the previous two years on it so I'm counting them in this era.
1995: Tekken 2
1996: Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
1997: Tekken 3
1998: Grim Fandango
1999: Pokemon Gold/Shenmue
2000: Final Fantasy IX
2001: Silent Hill 2
2002: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
2003: SSX 3

The Wilderness Years - Didn't play a lot of games during this time, and I haven't had the urge to go back and explore that much. A weird collection of 'this'll do' for a couple of years with some all-time favourites for others.
2004: Lumines
2005: We Love Katamari
2006: Viva Pinata
2007: Super Mario Galaxy
2008: World of Goo
2009: Wii Sports Resort

And we're back - I got a PS3, Wii and gaming PC in the same year and my interest in games piqued again
2010: Civilization V
2011: Rayman Origins
2012: Journey
2013: Pikmin 3

Indies and Zelda - I've never had anything against AAA titles. There are some I like but generally they don't entice me as I don't think I'm a huge fan of realistic art styles, which may explain why I gravitated towards smaller games over the past 10 years, with a notable exception in the middle
2014: Hohokum
2015: Ori and the Blind Forest
2016: Stardew Valley
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the wild
2018: Wandersong
2019: Outer Wilds
2020: A Monster's Expedition
2021: Chicory
2022: Tinykin
2023: TBC

 

[HeyItsPulse]

Gonna start with 1994 because i'm not old (I don't feel like researching games from 1993 and before)

1994: Final Fantasy VI
1995: Chrono Trigger
1996: Crash Bandicoot
1997: Lego island
1998: Spyro The Dragon
1999: Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
2000: Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon
2001: Final Fantasy X
2002: Kingdom Hearts
2003: WWE Smackdown Here Comes the Pain
2004: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
2005: Pokemon Emerald
2006:The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion
2007: Pokemon Pearl
2008: Fallout 3
2009: Scribblenauts
2010: Red Dead Redemption
2011: The Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim
2012: Persona 4 Golden
2013: The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
2014: Fantasy Life
2015: Fallout 4
2016: Crash N Sane Trilogy
2017: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
2018: Spyro Reignited Trilogy
2019: Judgment
2020: Persona 5 Royal
2021: Forza Horizon 5
2022: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
2023: Starfield

 

[Earthbounder]

I posted in last year's thread, so here it is with a few updates and this year's likely winner.

1985 - Super Mario Bros.
1986 - Ghosts 'n Goblins
1987 - The Legend of Zelda
1988 - Metal Gear
1989 - Mega Man 2
1990 - Super Mario Bros. 3
1991 - Super Mario World
1992 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1993 - The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
1994 - Super Metroid
1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1999 - Donkey Kong 64
2000 - Banjo-Tooie
2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
2002 - Metroid Prime
2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
2004 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
2005 - Resident Evil 4
2006 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
2008 - Braid
2009 - Batman: Arkham Asylum
2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011 - Dark Souls
2012 - Xenoblade Chronicles
2013 - Pikmin 3
2014 - Bayonetta 2
2015 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
2016 - Dark Souls III
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2018 - Celeste
2019 - Luigi's Mansion 3
2020 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2021 - Metroid Dread
2022 - Tunic
2023 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

 

[Twilight]

1985: Super Mario Bros.
1986: Castlevania
1987: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
1988: Super Mario Bros. 3
1989: Ys: Book I & II - Turborgrafx-16
1990: Super Mario World
1991: Ufouria: The Saga
1992: Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
1993: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994: Super Metroid
1995: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
1996: Super Mario 64
1997: Mischief Makers
1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1999: Garou: Mark of the Wolves
2000: Paper Mario
2001: Halo: Combat Evolved
2002: Metroid Prime
2003: Viewtiful Joe
2004: Tales of Symphonia
2005: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
2006: Baten Kaitos Origins
2007: Hotel Dusk: Room 215
2008: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Nintendo DS
2009: Demon Souls
2010: Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
2011: Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path
2012: Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk
2013: Super Mario 3D World
2014: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2015: Undertale
2016: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
2017: Super Mario Odyssey
2018: WarioWare Gold
2019: Sayonara Wild Hearts
2020: No Straight Roads
2021: Monster Hunter Rise
2022:

2023: Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon so far, tho I see REmake 4, Baldur's Gate 3 and Final Fantast XVI topping it whenever I get around to them, there is also Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

 

[PixelKnight]

Hey all, just regarding list threads on fami, they always run better if there’s a reminder in the OP to add a little more context to each post than just a list, but it’s worth doing when replying to them too. It just turns it into more of a discussion than a thread of long lists

 

[Ozeiyo]

I cheated a bit on the release dates just so I could get Yakuza in 2015. Also, you can clearly see a bit of a platforming bias in my list


1985: Super Mario Bros
1986 : The Legend Of Zelda
1987: Contra
1988: Mario 3
1989: Tetris/Super Mario Land
1990: Super Mario World
1991: Zelda LTTP
1992: Sonic 2
1993: DOOM
1994: Super Metroid
1995: Yoshi's Island
1996: Super Mario 64
1997: Crash Bandicoot 2
1998 : Ocarina of Time
1999: MGS (at least it was released in 1999 in Europe)
2000: Pokémon Gold and Silver
2001 : Super Smash Bros. Melee
2002: Metroid Prime
2003: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2004 : Halo 2
2005: Resident Evil 4
2006: Wii Sports
2007: Mario Galaxy
2008: GTA IV
2009: Left 4 Dead 2
2010: Fallout: New Vegas
2011: Pokémon: Black/White
2012: Dishonored
2013: Rayman Legends (maybe SM3D World)
2014: Bayonetta 2 (maybe Wolfenstein)
2015 : Yakuza 0
2016 : DOOM (or Titanfall 2)
2017: Super Mario Odyssey (BOTW is super close)
2018: Celeste
2019: Sekiro
2020: Hades (or Doom Eternal)
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Pokémon Legends: Arceus
2023: Hi-Fi Rush (TOTK is super close)

 

[Stilt Village]

1985: Super Mario Bros.
1986: Castlevania
1987: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
1988: Super Mario Bros. 3
1989: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
1990: Super Mario World
1991: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1992: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
1993: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
1994: Super Metroid
1995: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
1996: Super Mario 64
1997: Touhou Yumejikuu ~ Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream
1998: Banjo-Kazooie
1999: Crash Team Racing
2000: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2001: Wario Land 4
2002: Metroid Fusion
2003: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
2004: Touhou Eiyashou ~ Imperishable Night
2005: Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
2006: Mother 3
2007: Super Mario Galaxy
2008: Touhou Chireiden ~ Subterranean Animism
2009: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
2012: Kid Icarus: Uprising
2013: Pikmin 3
2014: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2015: Yoshi's Woolly World
2016: AM2R
2017: Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
2018: Celeste
2019: Luigi's Mansion 3
2020: Ikenfell
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Kirby and the Forgotten Land

After stewing over how to present this all day, I decided to bold years where there was a lot of competition and italicize years where there wasn't a lot of choice to create a bit more context. To be more precise, there were also great years and weak years with one clear choice, but these ones were the hardest to pick.

 

[Selarmor]

Good question. Never really thought about it.

1989: Tetris
1990: n/a
1991: ALttP
1992: Super Mario Land 2
1993: Link's Awakening
1994: Super Metroid
1995: n/a
1996: Super Mario 64
1997: Diddy Kong Racing
1998: Ocarina of Time
1999: Spyro 2
2000: Grandia II
2001: Paper Mario / Golden Sun
2002: Golden Sun: The Lost Age
2003: Jak II
2004: Paper Mario: TTYD
2005: Guitar Hero
2006: Twilight Princess
2007: Bioshock / Super Mario Galaxy / Halo 3
2008: Okami for Wii
2009: Metroid Prime Trilogy
2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011: Portal 2
2012: Sleeping Dogs
2013: Tomb Raider
2014: Mario Kart 8
2015: Rocket League
2016: Overwatch
2017: BotW
2018: Torna
2019: Luigi’s Mansion 3 / Bug Fables
2020: New Horizons
2021: Metroid Dread
2022: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
2023: TotK

I'm really far behind on non-Nintendo releases since Switch launched.