Name your favorite game per year, since your year of birth!

[stealthrush]

What are your personal favorite games throughout the decades?
There aren't any real specific rules to this; feel free to go by original Japanese release dates, or the US/PAL-localized release dates.

For resources http://www.favslist.com/lists/s233t185 or you could use wikipedia.. I'll start! 

1988 - Atomic Robo-Kid
1989 - Knight Arms: The Hyblid Framer
1990 - Super Star Soldier
1991 - Bonk's Revenge
1992 - Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker
1993 - Dungeon Explorer II
1994 - Lunar: Eternal Blue
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Street Fighter Zero 2

1997 - Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
1998 - Deception III: Dark Delusion
1999 - Galerians
2000 - Umihara Kawase Shun: Second Edition
2001 - Sengoku 3
2002 - Guilty Gear XX
2003 - Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
2004 - Shining Tears
2005 - Ibara
2006 - Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast

2007 - Mega Man ZX Advent
2008 - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
2009 - Kisou Ryouhei Gunhound EX
2010 - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
2011 - Tales of Xillia
2012 - Gunlord
2013 - Dragon's Crown
2014 - Deception IV: Blood Ties
2015 - Rodea the Sky Soldier
2016 - The King of Fighters XIV
2017 - TBA

[kamikazekeeg]

Using the simple google search for the year in video games, I just went with whatever they highlighted to remind me.  Most of this will be stuff of the time I liked, not things I found out about much later on.

1986 - NES Legend of Zelda
1987 - N/A
1988 - NES Super Mario 3
1989 - NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1990 - SNES Super Mario World
1991 - SNES Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
1992 - Genesis Ecco of the Dolphin
1993 - SNES Mega Man X
1994 - Genesis Sonic & Knuckles
1995 - Chrono Trigger

Now the games are getting harder to pick...

1996 - Either Super Mario 64 or Super Mario RPG
1997 - Final Fantasy 7
1998 - Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Banjo-Kazooie
1999 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater
2000 - Banjo-Tooie
2001 - Halo or Jak & Daxter
2002 - Battlefield 1942
2003 - N/A
2004 - Halo 2 or Metal Gear Solid 3
2005 - Resident Evil 4 or Battlefield 2
2006 - Okami
2007 - Team Fortress 2
2008 - Fallout 3
2009 - Brutal Legend
2010 - Metro 2033 or Fallout: New Vegas
2011 - Batman: Arkham City or Dead Space 2
2012 - Borderlands 2 or Far Cry 3
2013 - Metro: Last Light
2014 - Bayonetta 2 or Shovel Knight
2015 - Fallout 4 or Metal Gear Solid 5
2016 - Final Fantasy XV

2017 - And for this year, I think it's a solid placement for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[hexen]

This is absolute madness...! But ok.

1988 - Super Mario Bros. 3
1989 - Super Mario Land

1990 - Super Mario World
1991 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1992 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1993 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1999 - Pokémon Gold and Silver

2000 - Dragon Quest VII
2001 - Super Smash Bros. Melee
2002 - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
2003 - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
2004 - Katamari Damacy
2005 - Psychonauts
2006 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2007 - Mass Effect
2008 - Fallout 3
2009 - The Sims 3

2010 - Fallout: New Vegas
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012 - Mass Effect 3
2013 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
2014 - LittleBigPlanet 3
2015 - Fallout 4
2016 - Stardew Valley

2017 - Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild

Those mid 90's (especially 1995) years bum me out because every year had like 4 or 5 games that got the shaft because the years were so jam packed. The late 2000s to mid 2010s where either not giving me games I was super in to and I had to kind of just choose one, or 2 games where one had to get kicked to the curb because of how much Bethesda style open world games are my favorite kind. 2017 finally made it difficult again because of Mario Odyssey and Cuphead.

[chrismb]

1999. The Sims
2000. Jet Set Radio
2001. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
2002. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
2003. SSX 3
2004. The Sims 2
2005. Soulcalibur 3
2006. Tony Hawk's Project 8
2007. Mass Effect
2008. Mirror's Edge
2009. The Sims 3
2010. Red Dead Redemption
2011. Mass Effect 2
2012. Mass Effect 3
2013. Grand Theft Auto V
2014. The Walking Dead Season 2
2015. Life Is Strange
2016. Watch Dogs 2
2017. Mass Effect Andromeda

[98dgreen]

This is for games I own so not necessarily my favorite:
1997: Tekken 3
1998: Crash Bandicoot Warped
1999: Pokemon Gold
2000: Time Splitters
2001: Super Smash Bros Melee
2002: Super Mario Advanced 3: Yoshis Island
2003: Pokemon Ruby
2004: Pokemon Fire Red
2005: Resident Evil 4
2006: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team
2007: Mario Party DS
2008: Mario Kart Wii
2009: Wii Sports Resort
2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011: Skyrim
After This there is to many to choose from

[ferraroso]

1986 - Alex Kidd in Miracle World
1987 - Phantasy Star
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 3
1989 - Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
1990 - Castle of Illusion Staring Mickey Mouse
1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog
1992 - Sonic the Hedgehog II
1993 - Jurassic Park (Master System)
1994 - Daytona USA
1995 - Panzer Dragoon
1996 - Duke Nukem 3D
1997 - Rockman X4
1998 - Metal Gear Solid
1999 - Garou: Mark of the Wolves
2000 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2
2002 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2003 - Panzer Dragoon Orta
2004 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
2005 - Resident Evil 4
2006 - Final Fantasy XII
2007 - Portal
2008 - Mirror's Edge
2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2010 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
2011 - Killzone 3
2012 - Spec Ops: The Line
2013 - Tomb Raider
2014 - Destiny
2015 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017 - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

Best year: 1998

[pizzasafari]

I'll do a combination of original & PAL release dates cause I'm a cheater.

1995: Chrono Trigger
1996: Alien Trilogy
1997: Final Fantasy VII
1998: Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
1999: Final Fantasy VIII

2000: Final Fantasy IX
2001: Final Fantasy X
2002: Morrowind
2003: Panzer Dragoon Orta
2004: World of Warcraft
2005: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon B/R
2006: Persona 3
2007: Lost Odyssey
2008: Persona 4
2009: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

2010: Nier
2011: Skyrim
2012: Virtue's Last Reward
2013: BlazBlue: Chronophantasma (or The House in Fata Morgana if we count VN's)
2014: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
2015: Splatoon
2016: Persona 5
2017: Nier Automara

[tripredacus]

Are we going by initial release year or the release year in our own country?

The OP said it didn't matter, its just for fun. And note everyone puts SMB3 as 1988, but it did not release into the US then. 1990 was SMB3's big year. It is becuase those who remember the movie The Wizard came out in late 1989 and it showed off SMB3 before it became available. So the hype train for SMB3 was off the hook when it came out in 1990.

Anyways, here's my list. It got tough because I apparently have not played a lot of games that came out after 2014.

1979: Asteroids
1980: Centipede
1981: Tempest
1982: Millipede
1983: Spy Hunter
1984: 1942
1985: Super Mario Bros
1986: Major League Manager
1987: Contra
1988: Gauntlet
1989: TMNT (II): The Arcade Game
1990: Super Mario Bros 3
1991: Tecmo Super Bowl
1992: Sonic 2
1993: Doom
1994: Jazz the Jackrabbit
1995: Destruction Derby
1996: Quake
1997: Star Wars: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter
1998: Half-Life
1999: Quake III Arena
2000: Diablo II
2001: Red Faction
2002: Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
2003: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
2004: ESPN Baseball
2005: MVP Baseball 2005
2006: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2007: Halo 2
2008: Grand Theft Auto IV
2009: Minecraft
2010: Fallout New Vegas
2011: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012: Borderlands 2
2013: Pinball Arcade
2014: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
2015: Tales of Zestiria
2016: Zaccaria Pinball
2017: Pinball FX3

[ignition365]

I dig this idea.  I'll put one together.  I'm going to go strictly by US/NA release dates.

1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2
1989 - Minesweeper

1990 - Super Mario Bros. 3
1991 - Super Mario World
1992 - Night Trap
1993 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1994 - Mega Man X
1995 - Mario's Picross
1996 - Tetris Attack
1997 - Mario Kart 64
1998 - Pokemon Red Version
1999 - Super Smash Bros.

2000 - Wild Arms 2
2001 - Mega Man 64
2002 - Timesplitters 2
2003 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
2004 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2005 - Timesplitters: Future Perfect
2006 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
2008 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2009 - Red Faction Guerrilla

2010 - Fallout: New Vegas
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012 - Minecraft
2013 - Grand Theft Auto V
2014 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
2015 - Fallout 4
2016 - Uncharted 4: a Thief's End
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[desocietas]

First thing I wanted to say - some of y'all are *youuuung*

That is all 

[turf]

I'm old.  This is going to be a long list.

Edit:  This took me dang near all day

1981   Donkey Kong
1982   Ms. Pac-Man, Sinistar, and Robotron 2084?  Dang!  I'll go with Ms. Pac-Man
1983   Mario Bros.
1984   Not much happened in 1984.  Marble Madness in the arcades I guess
1985   Super Mario Bros
1986   Balloon Fight
1987   What a year!  Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Castlevania, Mega Man, Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Legend of Zelda all in one year???  I guess I'll take Punch-Out!!
1988   Contra, SMB 2, Zelda 2?  Contra wins, but it was another great year
1989   Mega Man 2
1990   Super Mario Bros 3
1991   Super Mario World
1992   Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1993   King's Quest VI
1994   Super Metroid, Megaman X, Donkey Kong Country or Final Fantasy 3?  Super Metroid
1995   Chrono Trigger
1996   Super Mario RPG
1997   WCW/NWO World Tour
1998   WCW/NWO Revenge
1999   Super Smash Bros
2000   WWF No Mercy
2001   Grand Theft Auto III
2002   Super Mario Sunshine
2003   Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
2004   Red Dead Revolver
2005   Kameo: Elements of Power
2006   Marvel Ultimate Alliance
2007   Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2008   Rock Band 2
2009   Broderlands
2010   Red Dead Redemption
2011   Batman: Arkham City
2012   Borderlands 2
2013   The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
2014   Grand Theft Auto V
2015   Super Mario Maker
2016   I got nothing for this whole year… I guess I have to pick something Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
2017   Super Mario Odyssey

[marvelvscapcom2]

1996- Super Mario 64
1997- Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
1998- Pokemon Yellow Version
1999- Crash Team Racing
2000- Marvel vs Capcom 2
2001- Jak and Daxter Pre Cursor Legacy (Toughest year by far. GTA III and Melee and Advance wars all amazing to me)
2002- Kingdom Hearts  (Wow, these are so hard to choose with Vice City and Mario Sunshine and WindWaker in the same year lol)
2003- Simpsons Hit and Run
2004- Ratchet and Clank up your arsonal  (Halo 2 close second)
2005- MVP Baseball 2005
2006- Guitar Hero II
2007- Bioshock (Sorry Mario Galaxy ) 
2008- Call of Duty World at War
2009- Ratchet and Clank Future: A crack in time
2010- Bioshock 2
2011- Saints Row The Third
2012- Walking dead: A telltale game series
2013- GTA V and Last of Us  (I can't pick between them without feeling icky)
2014- Mario Kart 8
2015- Super Mario Maker
2016- Pokemon Moon
2017- LOZ BOTW

I probably missed so many of my favorites but I was going off the highlights google shared for each year

[indenton]

Man I always hate having to put so many Pokemon games on these lists, Okay let's see...

1995:  Donkey Kong Land
    96:  Crash Bandicoot
    97:  Tekken 3
    98:  Crash Bandicoot: Warped
    99:  Ape Escape
2000:  Pokemon Crystal
   '01:  Wario Land 4 - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is putting up a fight though
   '02:  Luigi's Mansion
   '03:  The Sims (PS2)
   '04:  Ratchet & Clank 3
   '05:  Mario Kart DS
   '06:  Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
   '07:  Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
   '08:  Super Smash Bros. Brawl
   '09:  Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
2010:  Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
   '11:  Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - I dunno
   '12:  Pokemon Black & White 2
   '13:  Fire Emblem: Awakening - Apparently this was my year, battling it out with both Rayman legends AND Skullgirls, damn!
   '14:  Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U
   '15:  Splatoon
   '16:  Pokemon Sun & Moon
   '17:  NieR: Automata

[thewelshman]

This is a good one.

1980 - Pac-Man
1981 - Galaga
1982 - Q*Bert
1983 - Spy Hunter
1984 - ExciteBike
1985 - Gauntlet
1986 - The Legend of Zelda
1987 - Final Fantasy
1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (The US release.)
1989 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1990 - Dragon Quest IV
1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog
1992 - Mortal Kombat
1993 - Secret of Mana
1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Diablo
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Resident Evil 2
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Diablo II
2001 - Diablo II : Lord of Destruction/Final Fantasy X
2002 - Warcraft III
2003 - Disgaea : Hour of Darkness
2004 - Stella Deus
2005 - Resident Evil 4
2006 - Gears of War
2007 - Lost Odyssey
2008 - Gears of War 2
2009 - Ys Seven
2010 - Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
2011 - Gears of War 3
2012 - Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory
2013 - Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD
2014 - Child of Light
2015 - Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
2016 - Final Fantasy XV
2017 - Tales of Berseria

[xnblank]

1996 - Super Mario 64
1997 - Goldeneye 007
1998 - Final Fantasy Tactics
1999 - Super Smash Bros
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Paper Mario
2002 - Super Mario Sunshine
2003 - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
2004 - Halo 2
2005 - The Legend of Zelda : The Minish Cap
2006 - The Legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess
2007 - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2
2008 - Persona 4
2009 - Pokemon Platinum
2010 - Bioshock 2
2011 - Tactics Ogre : Let Us Cling Together
2012 - Persona 4 Golden
2013 - Final Fantasy X / X2 HD
2014 - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U
2015 - The Legend of Zelda : Majora's Mask 3D
2016 - Overwatch
2017 - Persona 5