Which Decade Had the Best Games?

[diskoboy]

From the 70's to today, what decade, in your opinion had the best games?

As someone who was around and remembers the golden age, I'd hafta say I'm biased towards the 80's. Games were still fresh and original back then. Until about '87 when Double Dragon came out. Then suddenly, every video game was a fighting or Final Fight type game.

[Haoie]

90s without a doubt. Or I'd think so anyway, as the person who wasn't old enough to see the arcade boom, only to read about it in history books.

The golden age of gaming is often deemed as 1979-1983, or something about that figure.

[imanerd0011]

I have to say 1987-1996. During those years SO MANY great games were made, and games evolved more during that time period than any other.
I know I will get ambushed for this, but most of the early arcade games from the "Golden Era" are very similar and I personally think the majority of them suck. There are exceptions (Pac Man), but as a whole I think that the time period I gave has much better games.

[shvnsth]

90s. and there is nothing you can say to prove me otherwise. in 1998 alone, zelda ocarina of time, metal gear solid, and half-life all came out.

[NeoZeedeater]

I would go with the '90s.

The '70s was extremely important in the evolution of the medium and unfortunately much of its gaming is being forgotten but there's no way it has as much good stuff worth playing today as the other decades.

The '80s was astounding. I wouldn't argue against someone choosing it. I just think the '90s improved on many 2d styles of gaming and delivered many amazing 3d games as well.

The current decade is only half over. I think it has a shot at the best yet.

[Ronfar]

I would also have to say the '90s. Mostly the games on the SNES and some for the Sega CD.

[Tron 2.0]

80's up untill the early 90's nothing more.

Afther that video games were, mainstream and original ideas were seen as a waste.

[PDorr3]

90's, the time I grew up with gaming with my genesis, SNES, and dreamcast. Best years ever.

[ShinobiMan]

Late 80's - Early 90's for sure. Of course, this is when I grew up, but then again, I grew up in the best age of gaming (my opinion).

[mr_nihilism]

Late 80's - Early 90's for sure.

Total agreement. Those were the good 'ol days.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

The 90s.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'm stunned by how 90s this is leaning.

I've got to go with 1980-1989. A decade that spans Pac-Man and Donkey Kong and Dragon's Lair and Super Mario and Zelda, 2600 and Colecovision and NES, the rise and fall of vector and laserdisc games, and a growth spurt of innovation that I don't think the 90s will ever even hope to be able to match. Everything that has come since then has grown from the seeds of the 1980s. Speaking only for myself, I can't look at it any other way.

[vulcanjedi]

Hey

As someone that was 19 in 1980 I can definitly remember the difference between what was available as a home console and what was available for a quarter at the local bowling alley.

The 16 bit systems on the 90's started bringing the arcade into your house.

But in terms of the best wow factor the 80's ruled. First time playing Battlezone or Xevious or even pole position was awsome. Only a few games on the coleco brought this same feeling home. Like Zaxxon.

By the time the 90's kicked in the games were much more adanced but there were so many of them that they didn't stand out as much.

I vote early 80's

VJ

[gepeto]

I think 1970's -1984 Innovation ruled. Developers were trying to find new game play experiance at all cost. The developers Always tried different concepts you had games with all different gameplay experiances and they did it with less technology. Ever since the mid 80's I think companies went with the sure concepts little risk and they had more technology. Which I think hurts gaming in the end.

[Flack]

I just can't believe so many people don't know what a "decade" means. LOL

I vote the 80's, for sure. Atari's heyday, all the 8 bit consoles, all the computers like Apple II, Commodore 64 and stuff, Amigas, Atari computers, NES, SNES, SMS, Genesis, and of course the birth (and some say death) of the ARCADE. If I could only retain the games from one decade, it would be the 80's for sure.

[Jumpman Jr.]

Thats so hard to tell.
Its a toss up between the 80's and the 90's. But the thing is, soooo much happened between 1980 and 1999 that the two don't even compare.
The 80's brought us the NES, but the 90's brought us the SNES and the N64. All three are as good as gaming gets in my opinion. :)

[Howie6925]

I would have to say that the best years were from the genesis launch to the first year or 2 the playstation came out, would be the best years in my book.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I'm all about gaming no matter the decade the game or system came out. If the game's good, I'll play it. That be said, I'm more into the mid 80's and 90's eras then anything else thanks mostly to the Genesis and Super SNES. But that doesn't mean I won't try out and play games from the 70's.

[Lothars]

Well I have to say the 90's mostly because i born in 1984 so i can't really say that but the reason i say the 90's is because most of my favorite games are from the 90's but the 80's are also a close second.

[DoubleJJ]

The 90's in my book. Full of changes, and full of classics

[retroman]

i would have to say 1985-95....thats just personal pref.

[Anthony1]

Dude, it ain't even about a Decade, it's about a single year.




1994



That whole year, was almost as good as the other decades




So the 90's wins it in a landslide!



And I was there from the 2600, so I'm not some new jack.


The very light eightes was pretty nice, and the late 70's was amazing, but you have to give it up to the 90's. The Golden era of video games was really 1989 to 1997 in my book. That 8 year period rocked like none other.






And we will never, ever, see a year like 1994 again.

[Arcade Antics]

The 90s? THE 90s?! @_@

Puh-leeze. It's all about the 80s. End of story.


I just can't believe so many people don't know what a "decade" means.
Scary, innit? LOL

[Topher2798]

*SIGH* What a DUMB question.
Everyone has their own opinion in regards to this question. Noobs or younglings prior to the "Video game BOOM" in the Eighties are going to say, the Nineties.

However, those of us around, pumping quarters into those machines back in the early Eighties, know the answer to this question. It's obvious.

All you fools saying the Nineties, should know the video game boom had already come and gone since then, so although you *wish* you had some sort of insight into this type of poll, you just don't know.......

I remember SQUEEZING my way past people in the arcades, standing in line to play a game long before your precious Street Fighter II tripe....

You just don't know. Keep pretending though....

Oh , the 1994 freak that posted earlier (Anthony1)... Yeah, I remember how cool DOOM was when it came out, but shame on you. 1994? You should be ashamed of yourself. Don't turn your back on history. If you knew the story of the id guys, you'd know that prior to DOOM, they were trying to catch up to sidescroller and platformers like Super Mario Brothers.

Rethink before you post.....

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Well, it is all a matter of opinion.

And despite my stating the 80s as my answer, I am also currently attempting to learn more and more about the games of the 70s. As innovative as the 80s were, one can't get to Pac-Man without going there by way of Pong. So it really is a matter of perspective, colored inevitably by age.

[Yago]

Hey

As someone that was 19 in 1980 I can definitly remember the difference between what was available as a home console and what was available for a quarter at the local bowling alley.

The 16 bit systems on the 90's started bringing the arcade into your house.

But in terms of the best wow factor the 80's ruled. First time playing Battlezone or Xevious or even pole position was awsome. Only a few games on the coleco brought this same feeling home. Like Zaxxon.

By the time the 90's kicked in the games were much more adanced but there were so many of them that they didn't stand out as much.

I vote early 80's

VJ

Ditto! I am going with this too. If it were not for the games of the 80's, there would be no games of the 90's. All of the original concepts and most popular games of all time came out in the 80's. All the games of the 90's offered were better graphics. But I feel 70% of the games lacked originality. Most games of the 90's were enhanced versions of the 80's predecessors.

[Topher2798]

I have to apologize; I was drinking lots of alcohol last night and was pretty lit when I posted my last message. I hope I didn't offend anyone. And you're right. It's all a matter of opinion.

[Anthony1]

Oh , the 1994 freak that posted earlier (Anthony1)... Yeah, I remember how cool DOOM was when it came out, but shame on you. 1994? You should be ashamed of yourself. Don't turn your back on history. If you knew the story of the id guys, you'd know that prior to DOOM, they were trying to catch up to sidescroller and platformers like Super Mario Brothers.

Rethink before you post.....


Look, it might be unfortunate for you video game historians out there, that the best decade actually occurred not that long ago, but the 90's was easily the best decade by a long shot.

And you must understand that I'm not some young punk gamer that is saying the 90's is the best, because that's all that I know.

I've been in this game since 1977. Back in 1977, I was a 7 year old kid when we got an Atari 2600 for Christmas. So I grew up with the 2600, and the early arcades. Like I said before, I'm not some new jack. I was playing Crystal Castles while most of you were in diapers.

It might be more romantic, to think that the best decade was the 70's or the 80's, but don't let that romaticism get in the way of reality.


The Decade of the 90's saw video games go from being a segment of the toy industry, to being a huge industry all by it's self. You had the ending of the 8 bit era, you had the complete run of the 16 bit era, you had the beginning and middle points of the 32/64 bit era, and at the very end of the Decade you saw the release of the Dreamcast and the very beginning of the modern era.


If you are looking at this strictly from the perspective of how good things were at the Arcades, then yes, maybe the 90's weren't that great. Certainly the 80's and 70's were much better from an Arcade standpoint. But if you look at home video game systems and portable game systems, then the 1990's was untouchable. And it's not like the Arcades didn't have anything going on during the 90's.


Just think about all the video game systems and portable game systems that were battling it out in the 1990's. Just think of all the great games that came out for various systems during the 1990's. I mean, take a look at anybody's top 100 video games of all time list. How many of those games on that list were released in the decade of the 90's?


You can ask me this question in 2050, and my answer will be the same. The 90's was the best, we are never going to see anything like that again, and it was the absolute glory years of video gaming, and that's my take and I'm sticking with it.

Again, I feel that 1989 to 1997 was the best 8 year period in Video Gaming History, and 7 of those 8 years were in the decade of the 1990's. The very end of the 90's was kinda lackluster, but the first 7 years of it more than made up for any lackluster showing at the end of that decade.

[Arcade Antics]

Look, it might be unfortunate for you video game historians out there, that the best decade actually occurred not that long ago, but the 90's was easily the best decade by a long shot.
LOL

List of games that back up your claim please?

LOL

[Anthony1]

I would have to say that the best years were from the genesis launch to the first year or 2 the playstation came out, would be the best years in my book.


exactamundo!


I totally agree. 1989 to about 1997 were the glory years of video gaming in my book. In 1989, you had the NES at it's peak and you had the arrival of the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis in the U.S. . The Sega Master System was still alive and kicking in 1989. Didn't the GameBoy get it's start in 1989? Or was that 1990?

Then with the early 90's, you had the twillight years of 8-bit, the release of Super Mario Bros. 3 (what some people feel is the best game of all time), you had the introduction of the Super Nintendo (quite possibly the best video game system of all time). You also had true arcade gaming at home with the release of the Neo-Geo. You had the first CD based games with the TurboGrafx-16 CD unit and the Sega CD. You had the first attempts at beyond 16 bit gaming with the FM Towns Marty and the Atari Jaguar and Philips CD-I and Amiga 32. You had the release of the Sega 32X and the Panasonic 3DO. Then you had the arrival of the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation and the Neo-Geo CD. And in 1996 you had the debut of the Nintendo 64.


I mean the 90's just had so much going on, that it was almost overkill.

[NeoZeedeater]

I mean, take a look at anybody's top 100 video games of all time list. How many of those games on that list were released in the decade of the 90's?
That's not a good way to judge. Top 100 lists tend to biased in favour of newer and mainstream games because the people writing them are usually lacking in gaming knowledge. I know you love the TurboGrafx(as everyone should) but its games almost never show up on the gaming media's top 100 lists.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a top 100 with a majority of games from the '90s(my personal list would have the '90s on top), just that top 100 lists(the media's, I haven't seen too many individual's lists) tend to be sickeningly mainstream, i.e. completely ignoring really old stuff, computer gaming, less popular consoles, the import scene, etc..

[sabre2922]

90's a lot of experimentation combined with so many great games from all systems of that era:

8-bit Super Mario bros 3

16-bit Phantasy Star 2 GEN Super Metroid SuperNes

32-bit Panzer Dragoon Saga SAT Metal Gear Solid PSX

The launch of DREAMCAST= SoulCalibur at the very end of the Decade 9/9/99

[WanganRunner]

1990's.

-Birth of real fighting games
-Birth of 3D Fighting Games
-Birth of the cinematic RPG (FF7)
-Birth of the 3D Platformer
-PC's become serious gaming machines
-SNK/Neo Geo
-Virtua Fighter
-Beginning of online gaming

[Oobgarm]

80's. Without the games released in that decade, plus the advances in hardware technology, we wouldn't be here discussing things as we are right now.

90's were indeed great, but they would have been nothing without the 80's.

[WanganRunner]

80's. Without the games released in that decade, plus the advances in hardware technology, we wouldn't be here discussing things as we are right now.

90's were indeed great, but they would have been nothing without the 80's.

Yeah, but the '80's wouldn't have been shit without electricity, so the best gaming decade of all must've been the 1750's, when Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite. LOL

That logic = p00p

[Arcade Antics]

1990's.

-Birth of real fighting games
-Beginning of online gaming
Both of these items from your list happened in the 80s, not the 90s. :)

Also still waiting for Anthony1's list of games that make the 90s better than any other decade.

[Arcade Antics]

80's. Without the games released in that decade, plus the advances in hardware technology, we wouldn't be here discussing things as we are right now.

90's were indeed great, but they would have been nothing without the 80's.

Yeah, but the '80's wouldn't have been shit without electricity, so the best gaming decade of all must've been the 1750's, when Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite. LOL

That logic = p00p
Uh oh, here we go... :D

Actually, your logic is "p00p" as you put it, and Oobie is on target. He's comparing apples with apples. You're comparing apples with the discovery of electricity. ;)

Without the games of any generation (in this case the 80s vs the 90s) to push the hardware and programming envelope, whatever came afterward probably wouldn't have happened. I'll grant you that there's some built in speculation there, but it's a good bet that the beginning of programming wouldn't head straight for 3D rendering if they hadn't gotten basic sprites, sounds, and level design down first.

In any case, it's a moot point. It's a given that the 90s games benefitted tremendously from the developement and history games from every era before it, but that doesn't necessarily affect which games are better or more fun to play.

Isn't that why we're all here in the first place? :)

[rxd]

As others here have said, the answer is obviously the 80's. Anyone who thinks otherwise wasn't there for it or was too young to appreciate it....

[Poofta!]

without a doubt -- 90s. this decade brought us both, excellent gameplay and beautiful graphics. and since there was so many freaking games, it didnt matter that some were rip offs, you had a whole load of great games to play.

one of the most important things i feel, which made the 90s gaming decade so awesome is immersion and 'feel' for the game. the 70s and 80s were ruled mostly by arcade style games, were skill, timing and practice dictated how good you were at a game and ultimately how much fun you would have.

the 90s brought us games that grabbed you by the throat and dragged you in, it marked the rise of excellent story driven Roleplaying Games (fallout, arcanum, Final Fantasy 6,7, too many to list). this decade gave games depth. strategy games stuck their head out and fighting games were perfected. beautiful driving games started coming out towards the end of that decade and marked so of the best arcades ever. the 90s was also the decade for attitude. it was the decade for mascots with attitude, we had Sonic and Duke Nukem, we had Doom and Mortal Kombat, Mario went 3D and free-roaming gaming started to plant its seeds.


of course this was the decade i played my games in, and i wouldnt trade it for any other. SNES, genesis, Playstation, N64, Saturn, TG16, Gameboy, Game Gear (while some of these didnt come out in this decade, some of the best games for them did). and even teh excitement of ventures into something new: CD-i, 3d0, Jaguar, 32x, SegaCD, Neo-Geo.

i love them all. and one day hope to have them all, complete.



oh and to everyone saying without the 80s, the 90s would have not happened, thats nice and all, but the bottom line is: it doesnt matter. the question is WHICH DECADE HAD THE BEST GAMES, not which decade influenced gaming the most. if you start arguing that 80s > 90s because 80s lead to 90s' design, well the 70s lead to 80s, and without the first game being developed in MIT in the middle of the century, none of that wouldve come to be either. so shouldnt the best decade then be the one with the first game?

We're talking about BEST GAMES, and if you are seriously trying to argue, that Double Dragon (nes) was better than Streets of Rage (genny) or Final Fight (snes), or Final Fantasy 1 is better than 6 or 7, or even that Mario 1 is better than Mario 3 or Mario Land. then seriously we have nothing to argue about... whoever prefers inferior products to their vastly improved counterparts, their mind will never change. sure these games were great when they came out, but the 90s ripped them all a new asshole. incidently this logic cannot be said for the current decade, since todays games are completely different from those of the 90s. all genres went 3D and other design decisions changed the games complete, whereas the early 90s design decisions improved on past designs, and the late 90s brought us completely remodeled and changed games.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

-Birth of the cinematic RPG (FF7)



that's a good thing? I personally hate that every RPG has 2 to 30 minute cut scenes in them now. I just want to play the freakin' game, not watch a half hour worth of CG.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Look, it might be unfortunate for you video game historians out there, that the best decade actually occurred not that long ago, but the 90's was easily the best decade by a long shot.
I don't really judge things from a "romantic" point of view, but from the point of view of which decade produced the games that I have enjoyed most consistently since then. And I still come down on the 80s side of the fence. To me, the 1990s is when graphics and sound took over as the primary considerations, when control schemes for individual games became in many cases ridiculously complex, and when the marketing machine took over and began dictating that "hidden" and "unlockable" things were the flavor of the day so they could now sell not only $50 games, but $16 strategy guides too.

Again, your mileage may vary - and for all the name-calling that's getting started in this thread, let's remind everyone again that this is just a matter of opinion and not a political campaign - but in my experience, and I too have been around since before game consoles had cartridges, the 90s were when gameplay and pure, addictive fun got buried. Nolan Bushnell used to have a saying, almost a mantra: "Easy to learn, hard to master." When the first half of that axiom gets forgotten, you wind up with a decade like the 90s. Not that the 90s didn't produce some gems, but not as many as I saw in the 80s.

But hey, that's just me.

[vulcanjedi]

I have one cent left to add.

A decade is too long of a period to classify as the best because of the sheer amount of innovation that can take place.

And arcade vs home has a strange curve that eventually merged together.

It's all good anyway...

VJ

[Aussie2B]

As others here have said, the answer is obviously the 80's. Anyone who thinks otherwise wasn't there for it or was too young to appreciate it....

That's simply not true. It's a cop-out to try to invalidate every opinion but your own, frequently used by snobby, old-school elitists. This is a board for people who appreciate ALL games, not those who worship the 80s above all else and "dumb kids" who don't.

I also dislike that "there would be no 90s without the 80s" argument. As Poofta said, there would be no 80s without the 70s either. While it's always wonderful for something to be the first, it doesn't make it the best.

As for myself, if I could pick ANY ten year span, I'd go with 1987-1996, as someone else mentioned. However, if I must pick a real decade, I too would go with the 90s. From the NES going out with a bang with titles like Super Mario Bros. 3, Castlevania 3, and Crystalis to the last great year of PlayStation and N64, there was a lot to love, and some things to hate. I didn't like every turn the industry took, but with a decade that brought me the bliss that is the SNES/Super Famicom and top favorites like Star Ocean 2 and Valkyrie Profile, I can't complain too much. :)

[AlexKidd]

If I have to pick an actual decade i'd go with the 90's but i'd prefer to go with the ten year period of '85-'95. Covers the the entire 16-bit era along with the nes and sms. The early 80's were nice but a bit before my time and most of the stuff between the snes and gamecube sucked in my opinion. Just not a fan of bad 3d.

[dreamcaster]

The 90's. Starts off with the excitement of the 16-bit era, the experimentation in CD-ROM's, the 3D frontier and finishes with the best console ever - the Dreamcast.

Games that make the 90's so great (for me):

Game Boy
Bust-A-Move 3DX
Pokemon Blue

Mega Drive
Another World
Dynamite Headdy
Gunstar Heroes
NBA Jam
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic 3
Sonic & Knuckles
Virtua Racing
Zombies

Super NES
Axelay
Donald in Maui Mallard
Donkey Kong Country
Killer Instinct
Kirby's Dream Course
Mega Man X
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
Pilotwings
SimCity
Starwing
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Stunt Race FX
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario World
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Metroid
Super R-Type
Terranigma
Tetris & Dr. Mario
Top Gear 3000
Unirally

Mega CD
Silpheed
Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Saturn
Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition
Destruction Derby
Fighters Megamix
NiGHTS into Dreams
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
Sega Rally Championship
Virtua Cop
Virtua Fighter 2
Virtual-On: Cyber Troopers
Worms

PlayStation
Bust-A-Move 4
Driver
Everybody's Golf
Final Fantasy VIII
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo 2
Micro Machines V3
R-Type Delta
Ridge Racer Type 4
Sonic Wings Special
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Worms World Party

Nintendo 64 - keeping to pre-2000 games for the sake of this topic.
Blast Corps
F-1 World Grand Prix
F-Zero X
GoldenEye 007
Lylat Wars
Jet Force Gemini
Mario Golf
Mario Kart 64
Re-Volt
San Francisco Rush
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Super Mario 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Top Gear Rally
Vigilante 8
Wave Race 64
Wetrix
Wipeout 64
World Driver Championship
Yoshi's Story

Game Boy Color
Tetris DX

Dreamcast - again, pre-2000
Sega Rally 2
San Francisco Rush 2049
Sonic Adventure
Soul Calibur
The House of the Dead 2

All of these are examples of the reasons why I'm a 90's gamer. :)

[Dr. Morbis]

I don't really judge things from a "romantic" point of view, but from the point of view of which decade produced the games that I have enjoyed most consistently since then. And I still come down on the 80s side of the fence. To me, the 1990s is when graphics and sound took over as the primary considerations, when control schemes for individual games became in many cases ridiculously complex, and when the marketing machine took over and began dictating that "hidden" and "unlockable" things were the flavor of the day so they could now sell not only $50 games, but $16 strategy guides too.
But hey, that's just me.
^^^ Ya, what he said. In this day and age of "l77t speak" and incredibly lazy typing (r u with me?), it's nice to see someone coherently articulate a point so succinctly. For all of those reasons and more... I choose the 80's.

[Arcade Antics]

I also dislike that "there would be no 90s without the 80s" argument.
Not sure who this one's directed at, but... you can dislike that point all you want, it's still true. :) And like a few people have mentioned, it doesn't have any bearing on the topic.


there would be no 80s without the 70s either. While it's always wonderful for something to be the first, it doesn't make it the best.
Agreed and previously posted. But for those of us who prefer the 80s, the 80s weren't first either, so I'm not sure where you're going with this thought...

I prefer the games of the 80s, but that doesn't mean there aren't TONS (and I do mean TONS) of games that I love before and since. I've probably logged as many hours on Power Stone and Power Stone 2 as I have on Joust. And Samba de Amigo and Donkey Kong Jungle beat weren't around in the 80s, that's "fer sure."

But in the end, if I had only one decade to play games from until the end of time, ignoring all others, it would be the 80s. The prolific, creative spark that went through that era is still, IMO, unmatched. :)


Games that make the 90's so great (for me): *list*

I like this guy. :)

[Lothars]

Well I already Picked the 90's as the best decade's but if i have to pick a decade of years I have to pick 1986-1996

the caliber of games released in that decade which is amazing,

[Scissorman]

That's a tough one. If I HAD to choose, I would say early 90's. That's when gaming was kicking into full swing and everyone was starting to really use the hardware of whichever system to its fullest extent.

[namzep]

I'd say that the 80s would get my vote. It could be biased by the fact that I grew up with a 2600 and NES.

[Topher2798]

I think we're starting to beat a very dead horse here.

I still miss those old arcade days though.

Looking back on all of it, regardless of the technology advancements, consoles, etc... The arcade experience of the early 80's will always hold a special place in my heart. For me, that is the FIRST piece of memory that surfaces in my mind when I remember video gaming in the past.

[Zilla]

I'm gonna go with the 90's. By choosing the 90's I get the last part of the NES and a lot of awesome systems that stops with the dreamcast plus I get some good pc gaming. I love all games though, I just wish people didnt get so standoffish about this topic. Everyone has favorites. Games=Goodtimes no matter what year.

[Aussie2B]

I also dislike that "there would be no 90s without the 80s" argument.
Not sure who this one's directed at, but... you can dislike that point all you want, it's still true. :) And like a few people have mentioned, it doesn't have any bearing on the topic.


there would be no 80s without the 70s either. While it's always wonderful for something to be the first, it doesn't make it the best.
Agreed and previously posted. But for those of us who prefer the 80s, the 80s weren't first either, so I'm not sure where you're going with this thought...

That's exactly where I was going with it. :P I don't dislike it the argument because it isn't true (because of course it is); I dislike it because it makes for a poor argument. I chose the 90s, but I love gaming from the 80s too, and I could've just as easily argued why the 80s is best. I can think of SOOO many better reasons to try to prove how the 80s is best than "well, there'd be no 90s without the 80s!" Anyone who tries to use that as their proof is just shooting themselves in their own foot since gaming didn't start with the 80s either.

[Retsudo]

I would say the 90's.

The 90's gave us a hell of a lot of good games like SF2, Doom, Resident Evil, Tekken, and others.

But I wouldnt spit at the 80's. Most of my gamin was done in the arcades in that era.

[Xexyz]

Well, the 90's is my golden era of video gaming. The 1 on 1 tournament fighters were both reinvented and then perfected in the eara (plus they were plentiful), platformers were all the rage, and even though there were alot of throw away mascots, the ones that stood out really shined and reeked of quality (Mario, Sonic, Sparkster, Bonk, Higgins [I think thats his name, from Adventure Island], Rayman, Goemon, etc. etc.). It was also the dawn of manic shmups. They got more bullet intense and frantic with every passing year. RPG's also evolved well. Although JRPG's still reign supreme during the era (boo), Tactical RPG's and Adventure RPG's became more abundant and were a nice change of pace.

The late end of the NES, to the Genesis vs. SNES 16-bit wars, through the rise of Playstation and a side of the N64, ending with the introduction of the Dreamcast is where it's at for me.

[unbroken]

90's

[VG_Maniac]

The 90's by far. And the best year in the 90's for games in my opinion was 1994.

[zerohero]

I would go with,

1988 - 1998 give or take 1 or 2 years. Best erra in gaming as far as my opinion goes.

[§ Gideon §]

If I could only retain the games from one decade, it would be the 80's for sure.
That's an interesting way to think about it. At first, I was going to vote 80's too. They were a time of beautiful, timeless simplicity. Then I thought about being able to play only those games... So I had to vote a decade later. The 90's had the peak of 2d, and the rise of 3d--the latter of which, in a way, echoed the timeless beauty from the previous generation.

[§ Gideon §]

Oh, I forgot. This isn't really a poll, so I didn't actually vote for anything. LOL But that's how I feel after thinking it over.

[Bender_rules]

I would have to say the 80's,the Atari 2600 was my first game system.I've played almost every system throu the years and have to say the 80's hold the best and most fun memories in gaming to me.But the 90's had the best RPG's.

[manuel]

In my opinion the 90s had the best games.
We got Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island.
Then we have all the cool Square and Enix RPGs for the SNES like Final Fantasy IV-VI, Dragon Quest V-VI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana.

[syd]

I'd have to say the 90's. Even though I'm kinda biased, because I grew up with the NES and SNES, and I didn't get the NES until around 1990. The really great games on the NES were released at the end of it's lifetime IMO. The Dragon Warriors, SMB 3, Kirby, etc. Even though the 80s definitely had it's moments without a doubt, since they had the original SMB, Zelda, all the great Atari and Colecovision games, and lots more that I probably don't know about.

The 90s also had a couple great console wars, namely the SNES/Genesis era and the N64/PS1/Saturn era. Games were getting much more refined during this time, and RPG's for example became much more involved than the older Final Fantasy's and Dragon Warriors, which mainly depended on constant leveling up and buying weapons with less actual storyline.

Since this topic isn't restricted to only console games, I have to say that PC games made very rapid progress in the 90s as well. In the 70s PC games didn't really exist, the 80s had mostly text based games or CGA graphics for it's PC games (which were actually pretty fun), but it was really the 90s that gave birth to the PC games we have today. If you look at how many people were playing PC games in the 80s and in the 90s you would see a huge difference.

So yeah, my vote goes for the 90s! :D

[EricRyan34]

Definitly all of the 1990's, games for the SNES, N64 and Playstation rocked my world. LOL

[SEGA-SAMMY]

The 90s for me. SNES and Genesis in there prime and then the PS , Saturn, Dreamcast, N64 right after. I felt there was a huge leap in technology between these two generations that we won't see again imo. ;)

My favourite year of that decade is be 1999. So many awesome RPGs came out that year. It was also the year the DC was released on these shores as well. :D Happy times :)

[Joker T]

90s. Everything was good :)

[cyberfluxor]

Thus far I'd go with the 90's. Although that's a LOONNG time to use decades, the most happening I've seen for releases and advacements are the 90's. It started with the ending of the 8-bits and ended on the edge of the 128-bit era. Lots of power was thrown into game and some of the most expensive games are from these times. I believe we should go more with bit-eras.

[B - Mark]

In my opinion the 90´s is the best decade for the video games.

War between Sega and Nintendo, 16 - Bits fever and SNK´s Neo Geo fighting games likes Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, King of Fighters and the shump Metal Slug.

In my opinion, there are the best moments of this 90´s.