1997 vs 1999

Ulti's Analysis
I was in high school from 1997 through 2001, so my fondest gaming memories might be within those two years. It makes sense for 1997 to score the mega blowout here, but 1999 got a raw deal. Smash 64 came out that year, and this was really the game that got my friends to hang out more than anything else. I still remember being over my best friend's house jamming video games, and our buddy brings over this weird game we'd never heard of. We start playing it, and we were all hooked immediately. We'd never played something this fun, this unique before, and we were all completely terrible at it. I was especially terrible, because my favorite character at the time was Link. When I first started playing Smash 64, I picked a character that can't jump for shit and would literally walk off the level and die more often than not. Given how day one went, it's a wonder I became the best player in my circle.

Final Fantasy 8 can't be forgotten, either. I still remember FF7 hype, and to this day I don't get why people hated 8 so much. I love 8, and loved it right from day one. All the weird stuff they added really hit it off with me, and to this day I enjoy it whenever I replay the game. Unfortunately, FF8 and Smash 64 is about all 1999 has. Past that is a bunch of niche stuff that few people care about. I've played some stuff here and there, but nothing I would be insanely passionate about.

1997 just has a lot more than just two games to get excited about, which is why it won this match. I'm still a huge Final Fantasy 7 fan, and I'm completely unapologetic about this. I think the haters are basically idiots. I've said all the good things I can about FF7 over the years, so we move on.

Symphony of the Night is one of those games I played because of these contests. In the 2002 and 2003 contests, Alucard made the second round twice. I got fooled in 2002 and actually picked him to make round 3 in 2003, and finally told myself I had to play his game. When I did, it was a real holy shit moment. It was honest to goodness the first Metroid game I'd ever played, and man did I get hooked on that formula. Never played a Metroid, never played a Metroidvania. Symphony of the Night was my first, and it was fantastic. To this day, there's nothing like the feeling of dual Crissaegrims completely dumpstering that entire game.

Can't forget Goldeneye, either. Holy shit, what a damn amazing game that was. Is there anyone on this site that hasn't jammed out all hours of the night with friends playing Goldeneye multiplayer? My circle's rules were License to Kill. Only. Ever. I played so much License to Kill that I could probably feel comfortable in a tournament if such things existed. Especially pistols in the bunker. I wouldn't even know what to do with a health bar at this point, because I'm so used to playing with OHKOs. Can't forget how great the single player was, either! Unlocking all those cheats for a 007 file, especially that damn Facility level, is an incredible thing to do.

Holy shit, I'm looking at this list and Star Fox 64 came out that year too. I was decent at that game, but my friend was a literal pro. If he was into streaming, he'd probably set records in it. As much as I loved playing that game, watching my friend Joe play it was an unforgettable experience. He mastered every trick there was, and playing multiplayer with him was completely pointless. I got wrecked even if he was on foot and I had an arwing.

I have to give some love to Mega Man 8 here. Yes the voice acting blows and the game is a joke, but it created so many inside jokes for my pals that I have a special love for it. We sat around calling each other WAHWEE for months thanks to Dr. Light being such a fucking loser in that game. Thanks, Mega Man 8.

Oh yeah, and this video comes from a game released in 1997: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS5peqApgUA