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[Sephimoth]

And why? Discuss...

Mine was the 90s, most of my favourite/most played games released then- Street Fighter 2, Tomb Raider, Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, GoldenEye 64, Metal Gear Solid to name a few.

I also miss traditions of the 90s, like:
- Games releasing complete and relatively bug-free
- A new entry in a series every year or two
- Developers taking risks and trying new genres/ideas without going bankrupt
- The transition to 3D was exciting times

Side-mission: Does your fav decade of gaming match the period you 'discovered' gaming. Wasn't in my case, as I first started playing games in the late 80s.

 

[Pelao]

Some of my favorite games are PS2 and PS3 games, so I voted 2000.

 

[JPSLotus97T]

90s easily for me.

I'm old enough to have been able to experience the joy of the arcades in the early 90s. Then there was the transition from the arcades to the dominance of the home consoles. We started out with 2D and ended with 3D in that decade. The most significant jumps in gaming were made during this decade. The 90s had overlap with the NES, SNES, and N64. Sega had the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast. The PS1 was released. I also think the gaming market was far more diverse back then in terms of what sort of games we got. I see merit though in every decade of gaming as the entire industry was pushed forward in different ways. Though the jumps made may have not appealed to everyone, you can't stop progress.

 

[skyfall]

2000's gamecube era 100%

I'll let Scott explain why

 

[existensmaximum]

1985-1995

But if I have to choose a decade, it's easily the 90's.

 

[Project 2501]

Probably the 90s. I bought my Super Nintendo on launch day in 1991, my senior year of high school. That system was amazing, from F-Zero, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Super Castlevania IV, Super Smash TV, Super Metroid, Legend of Zelda A Link To The Past. Arcade games like Virtua Fighter, Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat. Then the Playstation with Wipeout, Tomb Raider, Resident Fucking Evil, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, Oddworld, Armored Core, Gran Turismo. Just banger after banger with each new generation being a massive leap from the previous.

 

[FBeeEye]

2007-2012. Games started to become more film-like and it's the last time that games really evolved. Now everything coming out is just a prettied-up facsimile of games from that era.

The poll's results will be more "When did you start gaming."

 

[Romulus]

I was a 90s kid, but the early 2000s were insane for gaming. Ps2, GameCube, Xbox, pc, and even arcade gaming were incredible.

 

[Laptop1991]

2000's although the 90's were good as well, but the 2000's take it for the best games for me, especially the open world games of Bethesda, TES and Fallout and the GTA games, plus games like Half Life 2, Fear 1, Assassin's Creed 1, Far Cry and Crysis and the Bioshock games, i could go on.

 

[amigastar]

Thief 1 and 2
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Gothic 1 and 2
GTA 1
Baldurs Gate 2
Lucas Arts Adventures
Xcom Ufo Defense

 

[Mr Reasonable]

This thread: "how old are you?" or "when were you a teenager?"

 

[Verchod]

'95-2005 = much greatness

 

[jshackles]

How is the answer to this question ever going to be anything other than the current decade?

I can play new stuff that's coming out that I find interesting, and I can play older stuff on an increasingly wider variety of commodity hardware. Older games can be emulated with upscaled resolutions, upscaled textures, save states, achievements added, etc in addition to playing them on larger/flatter/brighter screens, as well as more comfortable and wireless controllers - so the games I loved in the 80s and 90s are better today than they were back then.

 

[GMCamaro]

90s. Going from the NES to the SNES/Genesis to the PlayStation/N64. So much crammed into that decade.

 

[Samrf89]

if your answer isn't the 1990's, then you are wrong and have horrible opinions.

 

[TexMex]

90s are close, but just can’t beat PS2/3, GC, GBA, Xbox/360 and some insane PC releases.

 

[Beastclaw Raider]

90s without a doubt, golden age of gaming for me

Early 20s (2000-2005) was also amazing

 

[Azelover]

90s are special to me. MGS, OoT, Mario 64. Not to mention all the Genesis and SNES games. Chrono Trigger. I could go on and on.

90s

 

[oji-san]

I choose 2010s, The best time i had so far with gaming. PS3 and Xbox 360 combination, with so many fantastic games. The move from CRT TV to HD Ready TV.. the biggest i had i my life tbh. and other things like first wireless controllers.. all in all i don't think i will have this amazing time again but it not like i'm not having a great time now, it's just the combination of all things i wrote made a very special times back then.

 

[Shift!]

I remember enjoying the early 2000's the most. I know the games during that time weren't very good, but it's when I was a teenager.

 

[RoboFu]

90s Best Games, Best Movies, Best Music.

I mean rpetty much eveything today is copying or remaking things that were created in the late 80s and 90s.

 

[Luigi Mario]

The 2000s.

 

[IDKFA]

Mine is actually between 1995 - 2005. For me, that was the golden age of gaming.

In those 10 years we had the PS1, PS2, OG Xbox, N64, GC, Dreamcast and some of the best PC games ever made.

It was also the era before the modern bull shit, such as "games as a service", loot boxes, day one patches etc.

Truly, the greatest age in gaming. I'd be content just playing games from this era for the rest of my life.

1995-2005 is unbeatable

 

[RoboFu]

I mean jesus... just look at the default google list!!

 

[brian0057]

The 90's followed by the 2000s.
Almost every single GOAT was released in those two decades.

 

[Rockondevil]

2000’s for me. Had some of my favourites.
Halo 1-3
Mass Effect
Bioshock
Morrowind
Oblivion
Fable 1 & 2
Majora’s Mask
Mario Subshine
Mario Galaxy

Just to name a few.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

It was the 90's.

Other opinions are wrong.

 

[Evil Calvin]

90's!!

NES, Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, Saturn, Playstation.....and also PC gaming. The advent of CD games but also a slew of great RPG's.

 

[Rudius]

For me the 10 years between 1996 and 2006 are the best in gaming history, perhaps pushing a bit further to 2008 if I give up 96 and 97.

 

[Crayon]

Gaming is overall better now and I don't want to go back, but there was an explosion of variety in the 90's that was great to be there for. That and fighting games in arcades (and arcades in general I guess) were peak.

I feel sorry for the younger fg'ers who didn't get to be there, but then again they aren't going to be missing it like they were. Like the best online setups are quite good now but it's really hard to shake that "it's not the same" feeling.

 

[Evil Calvin]

I mean jesus... just look at the default google list!!

Most of those are original IP's. A list from the 2010's + would all be just sequels

 

[Black_Mamba]

The 90s is the correct answer. It was the most prolific decade in terms of innovation and creativity. It went from 2D to 3D, to online, created MMOs, FPS, RTS and a huge number of iconic franchises (more than the 80s), at least 3 console generations in 10 years, the standard analog controller with shoulder buttons, etc.

 

[mrmustard]

Easily the 90s. Super Nintendo, Wolfenstein, Doom, all the great P&C adventures like Monkey Island or Sam and Max or Dott, Unreal Tournament, Quake, Half Life, Diablo, Dungeon Keeper, Build Engine Shooters, all the great RTS games like Starcraft or C&C, Bullfrog, LAN Parties, no Metacriic, no 'only >85 games count' people, no influencers, no wokeness.

And all the action games actually were about action and not walk + talk and cutscenes.

 

[Cashon]

2001-2010. I understand that people like neat numbers, but that's not how decades work.

Anyway, this decade had some of the most innovative games as well as the highest number of games that still hold up today. Encompasses some of my favorite consoles and games of all time. PS2, GameCube, GBA SP, DS Lite, PS3, and Xbox 360.


Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Metroid Prime
F-Zero GX
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Resident Evil (remake)
Resident Evil 0
Pikmin
Pikmin 2
Mortal Kombat Deception
Killer7
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Bit.Trip Runner
Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout Revenge
Dead Space
God of War
God of War II
Ico
Shadow of the Colossus
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Gitaroo Man Lives!
Psychonauts
Manhunt
Guitar Hero II
Braid
Fallout 3
Fallout New Vegas
Limbo
Red Dead Redemption
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Borderlands 2

It was such a fantastic decade and I don't think we'll ever see another one like it.

 

[SSfox]

Each one brought something so can't pick just one, tho end 90's and early 2000 was way too mindboggling, MGS, Tekken 3, RE2&3, Shenmue, Soul Calibur, FF7, Zelda OOT and WW and so on all those releasing in same 5 years was insanely revolutionary.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Best in what way?

I’m terms of being a player it’s never been better for me, since being on PC. My library dwarfs all my decades of console gaming combined. I’ve got arcade perfect games of my youth available when/if I want. I can buy a game any time of day/night in the privacy of my own home. Backwards compatibility out the ying Yang, with decades of classics when I want - all improved if I want. Free games showering me on a weekly and monthly basis. More than I can ever play. VR is a real thing and it’s amazing. Modifications to games should I chose that add some seriously cool shit to my library. Information at my fingertips whenever and wherever.

If I’m judging on the times of pure excitement and fun? Easily the ‘80s and ‘90s. I’ve been fortunate to experience this hobby in its infancy, and it’s something that’ll never happen again. Todays players will never know what it was like to have arcades everywhere. To not have leaks, but rather wait each month for the new magazines to roll out and devolve a bunch of sweet gaming information for you to take in. To have a real E3 that was an actual big deal, complete with booth babes. To not have a bunch of wet blankets that cry about every stupid thing. An industry without drama. To go to the rental store and pick out that latest release back when physical games weren’t just installers. To have tons of unlockable content and cheats at no extra cost. To have a AAA industry that can and did take risks instead of play it safe. Publishers that released a shit ton of games over the course of the year, and not getting a favorite franchise once a generation - if at all.

So really depends on how I’m looking at best decade.

 

[iQuasarLV]

1995-2005. /thread

 

[Sethbacca]

The 90s got us the tail end of the NES era, the entire SNES era, and then the N64; plus if you were a Sega fan, the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast; and then the very first Playstation. We also still had arcades, some oddities like the 3D0, NeoGeo, and Virtual Boy.

Edit : I forgot we also got the first 3d accelerators for PC, and the beginning of the FPS dominance era Doom, Quake, UT, etc etc.

Unless you weren't there for the 90s, I feel like you'd have to be high as a kite to choose any other decade.

 

[Aesius]

90s easily. We started out the decade playing NES games and ended it playing Dreamcast games (and drooling over PS2 footage).

And of course, there were a ridiculous number of stone-cold classic games released during that decade.

 

[squarealex]

96-06

 

[BootsLoader]

90s was a blast for me, played many great games like ocarina of time and final fantasy 7. Oh and perfect dark 64, goldeneye 64, crash bandicoot, tomb raider and much more.

But, i voted for 2000s because I think that the leap was huge and games were much more fluid. PS2, Game Cube, Xbox, all great consoles with great games. Also, PS2 had a tremendous library. I can talk about 2000s till tomorrow.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I voted for 2000s and 2010s, but really, it's more like 2007-2011 for me. A lot of my all-time favorites came out in that five-year span

 

[Cashon]

The 90s got us the tail end of the NES era, the entire SNES era, and then the N64; plus if you were a Sega fan, the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast; and then the very first Playstation. We also still had arcades, some oddities like the 3D0, NeoGeo, and Virtual Boy.

Edit : I forgot we also got the first 3d accelerators for PC, and the beginning of the FPS dominance era Doom, Quake, UT, etc etc.

Unless you weren't there for the 90s, I feel like you'd have to be high as a kite to choose any other decade.

I played games throughout the 90s (NES, SNES, GENESIS, N64, PS1). Though that decade, of course, had some absolute classics, I think the vast majority of games that were considered to be great back then just don't hold up very well today. There's only a handful from each system that I would actually recommend to anyone playing games today. And the N64/PSOne generation might be the worst generation since the Atari, in terms of what is actually fun to play today.

 

[Soodanim]

~5 years either side of the millennium were gold, and I'm lucky to have been at school age for it.

PS1 into PS2 won't ever be topped, and the industry is still milking those times with its remakes and continuations of franchises that emerged or at least rose to prominence at that time. 98 alone was S tier.

 

[pennythoughts]

2010 to 2020

I've played more of Dota 2 and FFXIV + expansions than all other games combined. If I was feeling more nostalgic then 1995 to 2005.

 

[Sethbacca]

I played games throughout the 90s (NES, SNES, GENESIS, N64, PS1). Though that decade, of course, had some absolute classics, I think the vast majority of games that were considered to be great back then just don't hold up very well today. There's only a handful from each system that I would actually recommend to anyone playing games today. And the N64/PSOne generation might be the worst generation since the Atari, in terms of what is actually fun to play today.

You make a solid point on the early 3d games from the N64 and PSX era, they look like absolute trash by modern standards even with upscaling and everything. SNES is god tier though, and Super Punch Out is still one of my go to games to this day. Plus you've got all the classic JRPGs.

I agree the 00's refined a lot of what was good about the 90s, but most of my best gaming memories are firmly in the 90s.

 

[CrustyBritches]

90s for the arcades, 16-bit war, dawn of the 3D console era, PC gaming golden era. It's not just about being a kid, this was when most of this tech was brand new and cutting-edge. You got to experience 16-bit 2D gaming at it's peak in the arcades and on Genesis and SNES, the jump from SNES to N64, full cinematic scores and CGI movies on PSX, the introduction of 3D accelerators on PC, the beginning of online gaming, the advent of emulation. All of this stuff felt so amazing at the time, whereas now it's just an iteration of already established tech.

 

[ClanOfNone]

The 80's for sure, the heyday of the arcades was something to behold.

 

[bender]

90s - Arcades were great, PC gaming was great, consoles and handhelds were great.

 

[kunonabi]

90s. 99 has several of my favorite games of all time plus the dreamcast launch. Arcades were still alive, fighting and rpgs were at their best, and survival horror was new and exciting. 2000s has major highs but it was also when things started dying for me until Super Mario Galaxy renewed my interest.