Summary

  • 2005 marked the launch of Xbox 360 & PSP, but iconic games like Resident Evil 4 and God of War stole the spotlight.
  • 1994 showcased Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, & Final Fantasy 6, elevating SNES to new heights in the console wars.
  • 2018 kept the good times rolling with Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, & Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

As far as artistic mediums go, gamiꦕng is still very much in its early stages. Despite its relative youth, across the six decades that video games have been a staple of mainstream culture and entertainment, certain years stand out more than others for their historical significance.

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Whether it was a collection of important industry events, the launch of new hardware, or, most crucial🌟ly, a slew of incredible games, these years will always stand out in the minds of gamer𓂃s worldwide. Some trips around the sun simply yield better gaming experiences than others.

This list 💫will only take the American release dates of video games and systems into consid𒐪eration.

10 2005

Iconic Games Released in 2005:

  • Resident Evil 4
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • God of War (2005)
  • Guitar Hero
  • Civilization 4

2005 saw the Xbox 360 and PlaySta𝕴tion Portable take the home console and portable gaming markets in exciting new directions, but it was the software being released on the previous generation of systems that really made an impact. Resident Evil 4 is typically considered a highlight of the series - if not one of the greatest games of all time - while Shadow of the Colossus has been the poster child for the “games as art” argument for nearly two decades.

Guitar Hero started a rhythm game revolution𝄹, while the PlayStation 2 enjoyed two blockbuster action games like God of War and Devil May Cry 3. Kingdom Hearts 2 and Dragon Que🐬st 8 signaled a great year for JRPGs, while the Nintendo DS truly announced itself with a Mario Kart game for the ages.

9 1994

Iconic Games Released in 1994:

  • Super Metroid
  • Final Fantasy 6
  • Donkey Kong Country
  • Doom 2
  • X-com: UFO Defence

While the Sega Genesis did receive the excellent Sonic 3 & Knuckles in 1994, this was really the year where the Super Nintendo pulled ahead in the console wars - both in terms of sales and overall critical legacy. The trio of Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid, and Final 🤪Fantasy 6 delivered on both technical prowess and masterful design in ways that showcased the full potential of the 1𓄧6-bit system.

Computers went from strength to strength w🎉ith tentpole games such as X-com: UFO Defence and🦩 Doom 2. Meanwhile, arcades enjoyed perhaps their last great year with an influx of titles that showcased the power of 3D graphics - notably, Daytona USA and Star Wars: TIE Fighter.

8 2018

Iconic Games Released in 2018:

  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • God of War (2018)
  • Celeste
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Coming right off the back of one of gaming’s greatest ever years, 2018 kept the good times coming with an assortment of stellar triple-A and indie games that have since been deemed modern classics. Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War (2018) dominated much of the industry’s conversation that year. One, the long-awaited and cri🥀tically lauded sequel to a b🎐eloved open-world Western game. The other, a daring reboot of a PlayStation icon.

5:12
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Not to get outdone, Marvel’s Spider-Man once again proved why this particular superhero works so well in video game form, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the gaming crossover event of a generation. It was also a fantastic year for indies and smaller൩ titles, with Celeste, Return of the Obra Dinn, and A Way Out managing to cut through an already packed 365 daꦉys of gaming.

7 1987

Iconic Games Released in 1987:

  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Castlevania
  • Mega Man
  • Metroid
  • Contra

Name an iconic 8-bit series,🌜 and there’s a strong chance that it first released on American shores in 1987. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Mega Man are all iconic, long-running series that launche🌠d outside of Japan this year, while Contra and Double Dragon exploded on the arcade scene.

By this point, the NES wasn’t just a ♊niche toy that only a few kids in school owned – it was a mainstream cultural movement that was taking gaming to heights it had never reached before. Gaming during this pivotal decade tru☂ly did peak in 1987.

6 2013

Iconic Games Released in 2013:

  • The Last of Us
  • Grand Theft Auto 5
  • BioShock Infinite
  • Dota 2
  • Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013 was another jam-packed year in gaming that witnessed a transition between console generations and several titles that would set a storytelling and design standard for developers over the next decade. The Last of Us made digitized characters feel as human as th🌸ey ever had before, and BioShock Infinite maybe went a bit too sky-high with its ambitious narrative, but it’s hard to argue that the journey wasn’t a blast along the way.

The Nintendo 3DS enjoyed its single greatest year, which was bookended by terrific Fire Emblem and Zelda games, with Animal Crossing: New Leaf dominating in the middle. And while the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One should have been the most historically significant gaming releases in 2013, Grand Theft Auto 5 broke records across entertainment mediums, selling insane levels of copies i🍌n numbers that only continue to grow over a decade later.

5 2001

Iconic Games Released in 2001:

  • Grand Theft Auto 3
  • Halo: Combat Evolved
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Final Fantasy 10
  • Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

The sixth generation of gaming consoles kicked off in earnest in 2001 with the launch of the Xbox and GameCube and a plethora of era-defining games. Several big series that got their starts in the previous generation saw incredible sequels that took full advantage of the jump in technology – with Metal Gear Solid 2, Super Smash Bros.ꦇ Melee, and Gran Turismo 3 chief amongst them.

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While 🃏Animal 🍌Crossing and Devil May Cry were exciting new series to enter the market this year, it’s hard to look past Grand Theft Auto 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved as the 2001 games with the biggest legacy. GTA 3 provided an open-ended urban playground for gamers to get up to all kinds of shenanigans, while Halo ushered in the modern era of first-person shooters and the proof of concept that Microsoft, as a console manufacturer and games publisher, was here to stay.

4 1991

Iconic Games Released in 1991:

  • Super Mario World
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Street Fighter 2
  • Final Fantasy 4
  • Another World

1991 will foreve👍r be a significant year in the culture of gaming for signaling the start of the 16-bit console war. With the Western release of the Super Nintendo and its excellent launch lineup, Sega needed to respond. And they did so in the form of a clever advertising campaign, some blast processing, and a blue hedgehog who could run really, really fast.

The art of storytelling in video games was being t💙aken to new emotional heights with groundbreaking games like Final Fantasy 4 and Another World. Me🦩anwhile, Street Fighter 2 brought the kids back to the arcades with a fighting game that would come to completely define the genre moving forward.

3 2007

Iconic Games Released in 2007:

  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Portal
  • BioShock
  • Team Fortress 2

Few years in gaming caಌn claim to have as many outstanding releases as 2007. The list of all-time great games that launched this year is long and reflects a definitive moment in time when developer🍬s around the world really started to take advantage of the HD era.

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Portal and Super Mario Galaxy are two of the most pristine examples of gameplay you will ever find, while BioShock took 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:environmenta⭕l storytelling to a whole neꦇw level. Modern Warfare and Halo 3 were dominant first-person shooters that many still consider to be the peak of their respectiv༺e series. Mass Effect and Uncharted both got their start in a year that had already given so much.

2 1998

Iconic Games Released in 1998:

  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Half-Life
  • Resident Evil 2
  • StarCraft

1998 is often cons𓆏idered a high point for gaming, and when yo🌱u look at the masterful selection of titles released this year, it’s hard to argue otherwise. Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Soulcalibur, Half-Life, Suikoden 2… the list just goes on and on.

These games aren’t jusꦫt 𒁃commonly considered the best of their year or era but some of the greatest games of all time. 1998 earned its place right near the top of the best years ever in video games.

1 2017

Iconic Games Released in 2017:

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn
  • Fortnite
  • Hollow Knight

While 2017 may not be that far in the rear-view mirror, the year was siꦛmply a non-stop 365-day gaming party that never seemed to end. The launch of the Switch not only resurrected Nintendo’s place in the console market but gave us two of the company’s greatest modern games in Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

But the fun only starts there! Persona 5 is the168澳洲幸运5开奖🎀网: best JRPG released in the♔ last ten years, Nier: Automata is the most unique JRPG released in the last ten years, and Horizon: Zero Dawn added another feather to꧅ Sony’s already stacked hat of excellent IP. Battle royales took over the world, and indie games enjoyed a stellar trip around the sun with iconic titles like Hollow Knight, Cuphead, and What Remains of Edith Finch. Truly an outstanding year in gaming.

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