2008 didn't suck. It wasn't the worst year ever, but it wasn't the best. "Best" is a title that in my own honest opinion belongs to 10 years ago, the wonderful year of 1998. I loved 1998. I was 12 and had an N64 and a PSX. What more could I ask for? What follows are my reasons for believing that 1998 was so much better then this past year.

1998 was literally a perfect storm. It was probably the only thing that could follow after 1997 was completely eclipsed by Final Fantasy VII. Almost every game that was great in '98 was an original title, not a sequel, and the ones that weren't original introduced something so amazing to their respective genres that they pretty much redefined them. Lets look at a few examples of why 1998 was so amazing:


Tactical Espionage Action: Metal Gear Solid: October 21, 1998
I wont lie, this is one of my favorite games of all time. It was the first thing I ever pre-ordered and the first game I HAD to have on Day 1. And it was worth it. I remember borrowing a friends Dual Shock controller because I remembered my GamePro review recommending it. I remember playing in a dark room, actually jumping at the DARPA chief's heart beating in my hand (at that time I even thought it was really the DARPA chief too). But I wont lie. Most of all, I remember the battle with Psycho Mantis. It was the first game to truly blow my mind. MGS was technically the second stealth action game on the market, because Tenchu: Stealth Assassins beat it by two months (August 31, 1998), but it was so far ahead of Tenchu that I consider it the first. The immersion and the cinematics, the focus on stealth and the fact that each boss battle was memorable, from the first moment you step into the ring with the Tank, through Psycho Mantis and Sniper Wolf to the final chase with Liquid, every second of the game felt like a movie. Metal Gear Solid 4 is my favorite game of 2008, but even the absolutely stunning conclusion cant hold a candle to the first time I played through MGS. I could write a whole article on why I love the first MGS, but I will save that for a later time. Technically a sequel, but this game really changed the 3D action genre and showed the non JRPG crowd that games could be as powerful as any movie.


The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: November 23, 1998
What has to be said about this game that hasn't been said a million times before. There had been other games, before and since, but none have had quite the longevity that Ocarina has had. To my shame, I never actually owned a copy of this game, rather I borrowed it from a kid down the street. I never did get to beat it, but I will say this, GTA: III had 3D open worlds, as did Mario 64, but they never felt as alive and open as the land of Hyrule did in OoT. This game changed adventure games forever. Many Link's have come and gone since, but they can never beat the memory of how amazing it was the first time I rode Epona over Hyrule field.


Half-Life: November 19, 1998
A quiet release, as the game SiN was supposed to be the best Shooter of the year in '98. Half-Life literally changed the PC gaming world. It led to three things. First was a new breed of interactivity and innovation in First Person shooters, one where it wasn't all corridors and enemies, rather you had allies and some of the most impressive level design seen in the day. You didn't even start with a gun and you never left your character, immersing you further and further into the Black Mesa Complex. Second the game gave us Counter-Strike, which love it or hate it really paved the way for Online gaming to be a legitimate option, paving the way for things like XBL. Third, it eventually led to Portal, which as we all know is awesome. I will be honest. I like Half-Life more then OoT. Sorry, but between the story and the inclusion of CS, I had more game then I ever needed. That doesn't mean I stopped playing games, 1998 had tons more to offer.


Now I wont go into the other games in as much detail, but there were many that came out in 1998 that either still influence the gaming world today or were memorable as amazing games. To name a few, Marvel vs. Capcom came into the arcades on Jan 23, 1998. Resident Evil 2, which absolutely blew my mind when I first played it, as I was 12 and it scared the living hell out of me, but as much as it scared me, I couldn't put it down and it came out January 21,1998. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit did not invent police chases, but rather was the first game to do it well and came out March 25, 1998. Thief: The Dark Project was another stealth game, but went medieval on our collective asses and came out just after MGS on November 30, 1998. Rare's way-too-happy-but-still-amazing-even-to-this-day Banjo-Kazooie dropped on June 29, 1998. Tom Clancy's first game, Rainbow Six, which also got me started reading Tom Clancy, came out on August 21, 1998. Insomniac's Spyro the Dragon came out, which eventually led to anther favorite series of mine (Ratchet and Clank), was released September 10, 1998. A game I never got into, but that people still fiend off of, StarCraft, came out on March 31, 1998. The list goes on and on, Fallout 2 (another game I can write a whole page on, but won't here), Grim Fandango, Time Crisis II, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Mario Party, Bauldur's Gate, and personal guilty pleasure's Gex: Enter the Gecko and Rival Schools: United By Fate. There are literally games upon games which people still talk about and revere. Well maybe people dont revere Gex, but still, games that are coming out today are still compared to these. 1998 set a golden standard for quality. Any RTS is compared to StarCraft. FPS, Half-Life. Adventure game: OoT, etc., etc.

There were other greats that year, but I feel like I made my point. 1998 is arguably the greatest year in the short history of video games, not even in review score's, but rather in terms of games that have withstood the test of time. 2008 has its share of greats, from Gears 2 to MGS4, from Left 4 Dead to Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and Valkyria Chronicles and Persona 4, there was no shortage of greats, but as for games that can withstand the test of time and be remembered as well as these greats, we will have to see. Personally I think the year that came closest in greatness to 1998 was 2007, where the Next Generation finally matured into the current generation, with epics like Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Bioshock and many others. I'm not writing off 2008, there were many games I enjoyed, and I plan on playing Persona 4 for a very long time. Also, 2009 looks to be a year of true originals, with Brutal Legend, Prototype, InFamous, Borderlands, Rage and a number of other, AAA titles lined up for 09. We'll have to see. Goodbye 2008, you were good, you just got beat by 1998 is all.

(Note: All games release dates were based off of Wikipedia and this article was about the North American release dates. If I forgot a great game, sorry, but there were so many great games that I remember from that year that I dont think I could remember them all, but feel free to politely let me know why you loved it. And yes Spice World did come out in 1998. Special thanks to whoever made the Half-Life cereal box image.)