1991, Game of the Year

[Dreamcaster999]

Now this is a serious year.

I think, when assessing what should be GotY we need to asses both the quality of the release istelf and the impact on the gaming industry as a whole. When using this method of analysis, I think there are 2 games which fulfil one criterion and there are 2 which fulfil both.

Sonic the Hedgehog was obviously a phenomenon and a cultural zeitgeist which launched Sega and the Mega Drive to not just compete with, but for a time, even overtake Nintendo. However, I feel that it is a game with inconsistent quality. Green Hill and Starlight are fantastic zones but conversely Marble and Labyrinth are abysmal and fail to understand that the ability to gain and enjoy speed through clever and skillful use of momentum are what makes Sonic so good. Therefore, I can't give Sonic 1 the nod for GotY, but if Sonic 2 can build on the good and eliminate the bad next year...

A Link to the Past meanwhile has the opposite problem. The quality is clearly there with this game and it's just as enjoyable today as it was 30 years ago so I see why it's leading the poll. However, the truth is that this game just didn't have that much influence on the industry. Sure there have been some ALttP clones over the years but it never changed gaming like say Ocarina did with the way we play 3D games (ie Z targeting and such). I do feel like there's merit to the argument that some Nintendo fans will come onto a poll like this, vote for Zelda (or Mario), and then move on without a second thought. Obviously, not everybody, but enough to make a difference.

Moving on to the 2 I think are worthy winners. Street Fighter II clearly had the quality and is also still fun to this day, but it also single-handedly popularised the fighting game genre. Fighting games are not my thing, so I won't personally be voting for it, but definitely deserves our recognition.

Finally, my vote will be going to Final Fantasy IV. This game was incrdibly influential in how it focused on storytelling and characterisation, which is somehting that not only RPGs but now many other games continue to do today. It proved that video games could be a serious medium for storytelling just like books or films. Furthermore, the game still holds up with the quality today. I do think FF would still hit even great from FFVI, but IV still stands proudly today as a classic RPG which can be enjoyed for both its story and ATB gameplay even over 30 years later.