15 Best Years In Video Game History

Notable Releases - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life, Grim Fandango

If you were living in 1997, it looked like gaming had peaked. After the release of GoldenEye 007, Final Fantasy VII, and Symphony of the Night, the following year clearly had its work cut out for it.

But in the eyes of many, 1998's mouth-watering assembly has never been bettered. With the release of Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, StarCraft, Sonic Adventure, F-Zero X, Turok 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Spyro the Dragon, and Tomb Raider III, it truly felt like heaven on Earth.

But guess what? Those weren't even the best games that year! As incredible as those titles were, they couldn't compare with Grim Fandango, Baldur's Gate, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dance Dance Revolution, and Thief: The Dark Project.

These weren't just the highlights of the year - they were the best of the best. Metal Gear Solid was the apex of stealth. Resident Evil 2 was the definitive survival horror. Tekken 3 was the zenith of the series. Half-Life was a masterclass first-person shooter.

And just as the year was wrapping up, Nintendo released the long, long, long-awaited Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. At the time, OOT was touted as "the best game ever made". Thanks to its flawless... everything, Nintendo's pride-and-joy it still regarded as The GOAT of gaming, even after a quarter-of-a-century later.

When you look back on the perfect line-up during those 12 months, you can honestly say it was the best time to be a gamer.