Strong cases can be made for a number of years being the singular "best gaming year". In particular 1991, 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2004 are top contenders to me, and a strong argument could be made for any one of them. I see alot of experts argue that 1998 is the best year for games ever (Metal Gear Solid, Zelda: OOT, Half-Life, Banjo-Kazooie, Gran Tourismo, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash 3 among the top releases), and based on it's game line-up I can certainly see why. Still, fourteen years removed, I think we can now all look back and say that 2001 should be the unanimous choice as gaming's premier year.

Of course, you can be the judge. Here are the top games of 2001 ordered by U.S. release date:

February 5th -- Paper Mario (N64)

February 27th -- Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (GBC)

March 5th -- Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)

June 10th -- Super Mario Advance (GBA)

June 18th -- Twisted Metal Black (PS2)

June 19th -- Sonic Adventure 2 (DC)

July 10th -- Gran Tourismo 3: A Spec (PS2)

July 23rd -- Max Payne (PC)

July 29th -- Pokemon Crystal (GBC)

September 9th -- Advance Wars (GBA)

September 30th -- Ico (PS2)

October 17th -- Devil May Cry (PS2)

October 22nd -- Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)

October 28th -- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PS2)

November 14th -- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2)

November 15th -- Halo: Combat Evolved (XBOX)

December 3rd -- Pikmin (GC)

December 3rd -- Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)

December 3rd -- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor's Legacy (PS2)

December 17th -- Luigi's Mansion (GC)

December 20th -- Final Fantasy X (PS2)

Now, maybe I'm a little biased because I was at my absolute peak of being into gaming at this time, but I don't think it can get much better than that. You've got three major new gaming franchises started (Jak and Daxter, Halo and Devil May Cry), the best game in the Smash Bros. series (Melee), the best game in the Gran Tourismo series (GT3), the first 6th gen Final Fantasy (FFX), and arguably the most landmark title of the last 15 years (Grand Theft Auto III) all being released in the same calendar year. And that's not even mentioning MGS2 and Tony Hawk 3, which are two of my favorite games of the '00s.

I also love the fact that, even the though the PlayStation 2 was clearly becoming the dominant console, the Nintendo 64 still had a couple big releases that year (particularly Conker and Paper Mario). 2001 was also the last year in which the Dreamcast (or any Sega hardware for that matter) was out on the market.

Well, yeah. 2001 was possibly one of the greatest video game years in history. Considering that GTA III, which made Rockstar's famous franchise even more popular was released that year.

Yes, 2001 was an absolutely amazing year for gaming.  It was a crossroad for generations, but one in which both sides had a lot to offer.  Conker, the Zelda Oracles, and Pokémon Crystal were wonderful fifth generation games, while Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi's Mansion, THPS3, and Gran Turismo 3 were standout titles from the sixth generation.  In addition to the games I mentioned that were listed in the OP, I'd also add Wario Land 4, Pokémon Stadium 2, SSX Tricky, The Sims House Party and Hot Date, and DDR 5th and 6th Mix AC as reasons 2001 was one of the best years for video gaming ever.

The millennial years in general, from 1997 through 2001, were some of the best times for the gaming industry, imo.  It all started to go downhill once Mario squirted water from a pump, Microsoft purchased Rareware, and story started to become more important to landmark titles than gameplay innovation.  There were still a lot of fine releases through the rest of the 2000s, and 2004 was just a solid year in general (the overrated 2007, not so much), but it was never again as groundbreaking as it was during the late 90s and beginning of the 2000s.

I would say 2004 was, but the PC is my platform of choice and it's well known that 2004 was the peak of PC gaming.    I really think 2004 was the last year of classic gaming period.  2005 was the beginning of some huge changes for the gaming industry.  Here are just a few classic PC games that were released that year.

1. Half Life 2
2. Doom 3
3. Far Cry
4. World of Warcraft
5. Counter Strike: Source
6. Everquest 2
7. Halo 2
8. Myst IV Revelation
9. Painkiller
10. Thief: Deadly Shadows
11. City of Heroes

I agree! 2001 was a very dear year for me when it came to gaming.

I actually started gaming heavily this year as I got my first home console this year, the PS1, it came with a PS1 Underground Demo Disc with demos of Driver 2, Alone in the Dark 2, Coolboarders, Aladdin, Matt Hoffmans BMX, etc. I also got games this year like, Crash 1 & 2, Spyro Year of The Dragon, 101 Dalmatians, A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc, Spiderman 2 Enter Electro, etc.

Heck I would also play with my cousin, born in 94, with his PS1 & N64, with games like FF7 & FF8, Tekken 2 & 3, Twisted Metal, and on the N64 like Zelda OOT, Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong 64, Paper Mario, etc.

Heck my other cousin born in 89' had a Dreamcast and I would play Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, The 2k Sport Games, Power Stone, Soul Calibur, Typing of the Dead, Shenmue.

So yeah 2001 will always have a special place in my heart when it comes to gaming

Yes, 2001 was an absolutely amazing year for gaming.  It was a crossroad for generations, but one in which both sides had a lot to offer.  Conker, the Zelda Oracles, and Pokémon Crystal were wonderful fifth generation games, while Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi's Mansion, THPS3, and Gran Turismo 3 were standout titles from the sixth generation.  In addition to the games I mentioned that were listed in the OP, I'd also add Wario Land 4, Pokémon Stadium 2, SSX Tricky, The Sims House Party and Hot Date, and DDR 5th and 6th Mix AC as reasons 2001 was one of the best years for video gaming ever.

The millennial years in general, from 1997 through 2001, were some of the best times for the gaming industry, imo.  It all started to go downhill once Mario squirted water from a pump, Microsoft purchased Rareware, and story started to become more important to landmark titles than gameplay innovation.  There were still a lot of fine releases through the rest of the 2000s, and 2004 was just a solid year in general (the overrated 2007, not so much), but it was never again as groundbreaking as it was during the late 90s and beginning of the 2000s.


That's just how amazing 2001 was for gaming releases. I forgot to add Pokemon Stadium 2 to my list, even though it was actually one of the most anticipated games of the decade. In fact, it was the first game I ever pre-ordered, because I was worried about my local Game Stop running out of copies on release day.

The thing that I think killed off what I consider the "Golden Era" of console gaming in the mid 2000's was the beginning of the 7th Generation in 2005-06. It just takes so much longer to develop games these days compared to before, that you really can't have a year like '98 or '01 anymore where a large number of huge games come out around the same time. I mean, between 1997 and 2001 four Final Fantasy games were released (VII in '97, VIII in '99, IX in '00 and X in '01), but there have only been TWO major console Final Fantasy's since then (XII in '06 and XIII in '10). Another example, in the Zelda franchise three games came out in the main series in five years (Ocarina of Time in '98, Majora's Mask in '00 and Wind Waker in '03), whereas only two have come out in last decade (Twilight Princess in '06 and Skyward Sword in '11).

That's just how amazing 2001 was for gaming releases. I forgot to add Pokemon Stadium 2 to my list, even though it was actually one of the most anticipated games of the decade. In fact, it was the first game I ever pre-ordered, because I was worried about my local Game Stop running out of copies on release day.

The thing that I think killed off what I consider the "Golden Era" of console gaming in the mid 2000's was the beginning of the 7th Generation in 2005-06. It just takes so much longer to develop games these days compared to before, that you really can't have a year like '98 or '01 anymore where a large number of huge games come out around the same time. I mean, between 1997 and 2001 four Final Fantasy games were released (VII in '97, VIII in '99, IX in '00 and X in '01), but there have only been TWO major console Final Fantasy's since then (XII in '06 and XIII in '10). Another example, in the Zelda franchise three games came out in the main series in five years (Ocarina of Time in '98, Majora's Mask in '00 and Wind Waker in '03), whereas only two have come out in last decade (Twilight Princess in '06 and Skyward Sword in '11).

Yeah the 6th generation was like the second golden age of gaming, followed by the 4th. First half of the 7th gen was GREAT as well the second half though.....

Yeah the 6th generation was like the second golden age of gaming, followed by the 4th. First half of the 5th gen was GREAT as well the second half though.....


What's wrong with the second half?  That was when we got Pokémon Gold & Silver, Majora's Mask, Banjo-Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, The Sims, the original Super Smash Bros., and Roller Coaster Tycoon.  Other gamers also loved Perfect Dark, Silent Hill, and the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Yeah the 6th generation was like the second golden age of gaming, followed by the 4th. First half of the 5th gen was GREAT as well the second half though.....


5th generation through the 1st half of 7th generation was the best time for gaming IMO, I know some people will cut it off after 6th generation but I'll give the 1st half of 7th generation a pass though, since AT THE TIME it was still fresh and new. The Wii was popular and the early days of online gaming was still exciting before it got to the point where it was too far and that living room culture of playing games with your friends had died out, plus many other genres from the past that you'd play on your own like RPG, racing games, or linear platform have declined as well. I still think that 5th generation and 6th generation overall FULL TIME were the true golden age of gaming.

What's wrong with the second half?  That was when we got Pokémon Gold & Silver, Majora's Mask, Banjo-Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, The Sims, the original Super Smash Bros., and Roller Coaster Tycoon.  Other gamers also loved Perfect Dark, Silent Hill, and the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
oops I meant the second half of 7th gen, my bad, I actually do like the second half of the 5th gen MUCH more

5th generation through the 1st half of 7th generation was the best time for gaming IMO, I know some people will cut it off after 6th generation but I'll give the 1st half of 7th generation a pass though, since AT THE TIME it was still fresh and new. The Wii was popular and the early days of online gaming was still exciting before it got to the point where it was too far and that living room culture of playing games with your friends had died out, plus many other genres from the past that you'd play on your own like RPG, racing games, or linear platform have declined as well. I still think that 5th generation and 6th generation overall FULL TIME were the true golden age of gaming.

I meant the second half of 7th gen wasn't that great not the 5th!  ;D ;D ;D

5th generation through the 1st half of 7th generation was the best time for gaming IMO, I know some people will cut it off after 6th generation but I'll give the 1st half of 7th generation a pass though, since AT THE TIME it was still fresh and new. The Wii was popular and the early days of online gaming was still exciting before it got to the point where it was too far and that living room culture of playing games with your friends had died out, plus many other genres from the past that you'd play on your own like RPG, racing games, or linear platform have declined as well. I still think that 5th generation and 6th generation overall FULL TIME were the true golden age of gaming.

5th generation felt like the new generation era of gaming (just like the new generation of wwe/wwf era from 1993-1997), 3D graphics being introduced the introduction of PS1, and the beginning of sega's decline, it came after the HUGE gaming boom of the 4th gen. For the nostalgia and early childhood memories I will always hold the 5th gen dear to my heart, but playing these games again as an adult, the 3D graphics ESPECIALLY on the playstation feel kinda dated; and yes and I liked the games that infinity named, but the 5th gen now feels like it was in the beginning of a gaming transitional period. That's probably why I don't consider 5th gen apart of the second golden age of gaming like I do the 6th gen and early 7th gen

5th generation through the 1st half of 7th generation was the best time for gaming IMO, I know some people will cut it off after 6th generation but I'll give the 1st half of 7th generation a pass though, since AT THE TIME it was still fresh and new. The Wii was popular and the early days of online gaming was still exciting before it got to the point where it was too far and that living room culture of playing games with your friends had died out, plus many other genres from the past that you'd play on your own like RPG, racing games, or linear platform have declined as well. I still think that 5th generation and 6th generation overall FULL TIME were the true golden age of gaming.

I could make a strong argument that the 3rd and 4th gen were the first golden age of gaming, and the LATE 5th gen until the early 7th gen was the second golden era of gaming

I could make a strong argument that the 3rd and 4th gen were the first golden age of gaming, and the LATE 5th gen until the early 7th gen was the second golden era of gaming
That can work. The chart would look like this.

Golden age of gaming: 1985/86 to to 1996

Second golden age: 1998 to 2008/09

That can work. The chart would look like this.

Golden age of gaming: 1985/86 to to 1996

Second golden age: 1998 to 2008/09


A strong case may be made for 1982, the peak of the second generation prior to the second crash. You had Atari commercials EVERYWHERE, even during adult theatrical movies on TV!

Stone Age= 1973/4-1977
Platinum Age= 1978-1982
Dark period= 1983-1985 (remember the NES was outside of Japan in '85 was only available in some of the largest markets)
Golden Age=1986-1995
Silver Age= 1996 (1996 should also be considered since it had a good mix of lefover 4th gen and 5th gen games)-2004
Bronze Age= 2005-2014?
Copper Age= 2015+ (console gaming may go the way of the arcade cabinet at the local mall or laundromat with just a multimedia station replacing it)

Personally, while I enjoyed what was coming out, I actually tuned out of the gaming scene around the end of 2001 to focus on a career and more serious matters. That's not to say that those games aren't worth checking out (most 6th generation games are cheap since they aren't vintage collectible items just yet like games from the older gens are). I mostly was involved in the scene from 1989 when I was old enough to understand what was happening until 2001, meaning I'm mostly familiar with the end of the 3rd Gen/"8-bit era", through the cusp of the 5th/6th gen. I just couldn't handle the long playing times due to the increasing burden of school work and other activities to get ahead in life. And with modern games focusing on story as opposed to controls and strategies, I'd rather watch either a movie/TV program for the former and play crossword/board games or watch game shows for the later.

A strong case may be made for 1982, the peak of the second generation prior to the second crash. You had Atari commercials EVERYWHERE, even during adult theatrical movies on TV!

Stone Age= 1973/4-1977
Platinum Age= 1978-1982
Dark period= 1983-1985 (remember the NES was outside of Japan in '85 was only available in some of the largest markets)
Golden Age=1986-1995
Silver Age= 1996 (1996 should also be considered since it had a good mix of lefover 4th gen and 5th gen games)-2004
Bronze Age= 2005-2014?
Copper Age= 2015+ (console gaming may go the way of the arcade cabinet at the local mall or laundromat with just a multimedia station replacing it)

Personally, while I enjoyed what was coming out, I actually tuned out of the gaming scene around the end of 2001 to focus on a career and more serious matters. That's not to say that those games aren't worth checking out (most 6th generation games are cheap since they aren't vintage collectible items just yet like games from the older gens are). I mostly was involved in the scene from 1989 when I was old enough to understand what was happening until 2001, meaning I'm mostly familiar with the end of the 3rd Gen/"8-bit era", through the cusp of the 5th/6th gen. I just couldn't handle the long playing times due to the increasing burden of school work and other activities to get ahead in life. And with modern games focusing on story as opposed to controls and strategies, I'd rather watch either a movie/TV program for the former and play crossword/board games or watch game shows for the later.


I have to disagree. Even though the first 7th generation console was released in 2005 with the XBOX 360, the rest like PS3 and Wii didn't come out until 2006, and I didn't notice 6th generation phase out completely and 7th generation being in full effect in its max popularity until 2007, so honestly I would extend the silver age through most of 2006 and then the bronze age starts in 2007, and as for your opinion on the golden age honestly I don't really care about the 3rd & 4th generation 2-D gaming, I respect it but it wasn't my favorite era. You didn't have Crash Bandicoot yet, Grand Theft Auto wasn't around, nor any Mario Kart 64 (I honestly never cared for Super Mario Kart). My favorite era is 5th & 6th generation 3-D gaming, that was the full peak for me, all the games that came out around the time, just like in this thread 2001 was one of the greatest years for gaming ALONG with 1996 and 2004. When there was still tons of genres of games to select and living room culture of playing games with your personal friends was still big. The 1st half of 7th generation was like a silver age for me.

IMO:

Silver Age: 1st-3rd Generations

Golden Age: 4th-6th Generations

Silver Age: First Half of 7th Generation

Bronze Age: Second Half of 7th Generation-8th Generation

Prehistoric Age ("Tennis for Two and Spacewar" Age):  1958-1971
Stone Age ("Pong" Age):  1972-1977
Classical Age ("Atari" Age):  1978-1982
Dark Age ("Video Game Crash" Age):  1983-1985
Bronze Age ("NES" Age):  1986-1990
Silver Age ("16-bit" Age):  1991-1996
Golden Age ("Fifth and Peak of Sixth Generation" Age):  1997-2001
Post-Golden Age ("Sixth Generation" Age):  2002-2006
Age of Decline ("FPS, Cutscene, and Anti-Innovation" Age):  2007-present

A strong case may be made for 1982, the peak of the second generation prior to the second crash. You had Atari commercials EVERYWHERE, even during adult theatrical movies on TV!

Stone Age= 1973/4-1977
Platinum Age= 1978-1982
Dark period= 1983-1985 (remember the NES was outside of Japan in '85 was only available in some of the largest markets)
Golden Age=1986-1995
Silver Age= 1996 (1996 should also be considered since it had a good mix of lefover 4th gen and 5th gen games)-2004
Bronze Age= 2005-2014?
Copper Age= 2015+ (console gaming may go the way of the arcade cabinet at the local mall or laundromat with just a multimedia station replacing it)

Personally, while I enjoyed what was coming out, I actually tuned out of the gaming scene around the end of 2001 to focus on a career and more serious matters. That's not to say that those games aren't worth checking out (most 6th generation games are cheap since they aren't vintage collectible items just yet like games from the older gens are). I mostly was involved in the scene from 1989 when I was old enough to understand what was happening until 2001, meaning I'm mostly familiar with the end of the 3rd Gen/"8-bit era", through the cusp of the 5th/6th gen. I just couldn't handle the long playing times due to the increasing burden of school work and other activities to get ahead in life. And with modern games focusing on story as opposed to controls and strategies, I'd rather watch either a movie/TV program for the former and play crossword/board games or watch game shows for the later.


What crash was there during the 80's?  ???

What crash was there during the 80's?  ???


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983

Basically, video game software was coming out at an uncontrollable pace, with most new games either being blatant ripoffs of Atari classics, desperate cash-ins, or just straight-up low quality.  The biggest two culprits of the crash were the much hyped E.T. for the Atari 2600, as well as the crummy Atari port of the arcade classic Pac-Man.  People couldn't easily tell which products were worth purchasing, so the market felt like an oversaturated crapshoot rather than a reliable industry like it is now.  Although 1983 was actually a great year for gaming in Japan, thanks to the launch of the Famicom and the release of the Mario Bros. arcade, it was a truly bleak time for the home industry in the United States, one which Atari never recovered from.  Had it not been for Nintendo's clever marketing maneuvers in the mid-late 80s in introducing the NES to the United States, the gaming industry would've survived only on arcade and computer platforms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983

Basically, video game software was coming out at an uncontrollable pace, with most new games either being blatant ripoffs of Atari classics, desperate cash-ins, or just straight-up low quality.  The biggest two culprits of the crash were the much hyped E.T. for the Atari 2600, as well as the crummy Atari port of the arcade classic Pac-Man.  People couldn't easily tell which products were worth purchasing, so the market felt like an oversaturated crapshoot rather than a reliable industry like it is now.  Although 1983 was actually a great year for gaming in Japan, thanks to the launch of the Famicom and the release of the Mario Bros. arcade, it was a truly bleak time for the home industry in the United States, one which Atari never recovered from.  Had it not been for Nintendo's clever marketing maneuvers in the mid-late 80s in introducing the NES to the United States, the gaming industry would've survived only on arcade and computer platforms.


The gaming community wouldn't even popular for 90s kids and so forth, if it wasn't for Nintendo. But I think my life would be okay without video games because they weren't that important in my childhood.

The gaming community wouldn't even popular for 90s kids and so forth, if it wasn't for Nintendo. But I think my life would be okay without video games because they weren't that important in my childhood.


video games during my childhood were somewhat important.

video games during my childhood were somewhat important.


What consoles did you grew up with?

What consoles did you grew up with?

Howard grew up with NES and Atari.

Early Age: 1st and 2nd gen

Dark Age: video game crash from 1983-85

First golden age: 3rd and 4th generation(NES, SEGA Master System, SNES, Sega Genesis)

Transition from 2D and 3D: First half of the 5th generation ( PS1, N64, Sega Saturn)

Second golden Age: Second half of 5th gen-first half of 7th gen

Modern Age: Second half of 7th gen-present

A strong case may be made for 1982, the peak of the second generation prior to the second crash. You had Atari commercials EVERYWHERE, even during adult theatrical movies on TV!

Stone Age= 1973/4-1977
Platinum Age= 1978-1982
Dark period= 1983-1985 (remember the NES was outside of Japan in '85 was only available in some of the largest markets)
Golden Age=1986-1995
Silver Age= 1996 (1996 should also be considered since it had a good mix of lefover 4th gen and 5th gen games)-2004
Bronze Age= 2005-2014?
Copper Age= 2015+ (console gaming may go the way of the arcade cabinet at the local mall or laundromat with just a multimedia station replacing it)

Personally, while I enjoyed what was coming out, I actually tuned out of the gaming scene around the end of 2001 to focus on a career and more serious matters. That's not to say that those games aren't worth checking out (most 6th generation games are cheap since they aren't vintage collectible items just yet like games from the older gens are). I mostly was involved in the scene from 1989 when I was old enough to understand what was happening until 2001, meaning I'm mostly familiar with the end of the 3rd Gen/"8-bit era", through the cusp of the 5th/6th gen. I just couldn't handle the long playing times due to the increasing burden of school work and other activities to get ahead in life. And with modern games focusing on story as opposed to controls and strategies, I'd rather watch either a movie/TV program for the former and play crossword/board games or watch game shows for the later.
This is a great way to put it; however, why is the second period called the platinum age? Wouldn't it be also be seen as the early age as well?


IMO:

Silver Age: 1st-3rd Generations

Golden Age: 4th-6th Generations

Silver Age: First Half of 7th Generation

Bronze Age: Second Half of 7th Generation-8th Generation
I say that the 1st and 2nd generations are the early age while the 3rd to 6th are the golden age and so forth.

Howard grew up with NES and Atari.


early to mid 80's through the late 80's.

What consoles did you grew up with?


and the very classic Gameboy.

Even if it isn't, its definitely in the list as one of the greats.

Loved it from beginning to end. I was mad addicted to Pokémon Stadium 2, Mario Party 3 and Super Smash Bros. Melee until well into 2003, I couldn't put them down!

Devil May Cry is one of my favourite video game series (except the last one) and kick started my favourite genre and it released in 2001!

My Golden Age of Gaming is 1991-2001, so that would put 2001 as the very last year. In late 2001, Halo and GTA 3 came out, and while they were spectacular and revolutionary games, they shifted the main demographic of video games from children to teenage boys, and I was never a fan of that shift despite its inevitability. 2001 was also the last year I noticed any huge focus on local multiplayer until the Wii would come along.

I loved 2001, but I wouldn't consider it the greatest gaming year or even greatest 6th gen gaming year. I'd say the peak of 6th gen was 2004. You had Burnout 3: Takedown, Fable, Halo 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, World of Warcraft, Far Cry, Doom 3, GTA: San Andreas, Half Life 2, Rome: Total War, Sid Meier's Pirates, Spider-Man 2 (best spider man video game imo), Star Wars Battlefront, and so many more, I just wanted to say some of the notable ones.

I honestly think it's pretty subjective. Older folks would disagree and younger would disagree as well. ;D
It usually the era that you were a kid in, is always the best to you. :)

For example, AVGN's usually gets nostalgic for the NES and SNES, I wonder why? ::)
Aaron Staplish from Retro Liberty's favorite consoles are the SNES, NES, and Geneis. He also thinks nothing has come close to the 4th gen/16 bit era. I wonder why? ::)
Fellow user; Infinity usually gets nostalgic for 5th gen and thinks that was the best. I wonder why? ::)

But overall, yea 2001 was one of the top 5 years in history. Calling it the best I'm not sure....

2001-2002 is yeah