Absolutely sensational year for gaming! Maybe the best of all time??? Obviously OoT will run away with it, but glad to see other games getting some love too.

As a JRPG guy, I'm sure that Xenogears and Suikoden II are amongst the very best but I've yet to get around to them! :(

WIth that said, however, I do already have a more than deserving winner: Panzer Dragoon Saga :)

This is probably the best game that nobody has ever played and is the clear shining jewel of the Saturn's library. To begin my praise of the game, I want to point out how visually impressive this game is: it's a fully 3D RPG (to my knowledge the first of its kind), while other games like FF7, Grandia, Xenogears, Suikoden had to find some level of balance with 2D elements, PDS shatters that compromise 2 years before Vagrant Story and on the Saturn no less (supposedly the wekest 5th gen console at 3D)

Then the story and characters are sublime. With its short ~15 hour run-time, Sega decided to keep this game's cast small but focused so that every character feels relevant, intriguing, and fully fleshed-out. The story starts as a revenge plot but develops into something far grander and more meta with one of the best endings in gaming. If you're a fan of NieR: Automata, you owe it to yourself to play this.

Meanwhile, the gameplay is also incredible. First of all, you have your own customisable dragon, which is awesome. And then somehow, Sega managed to make and RPG stay true to the series' roots as a rail shooter by using an ATB system in which where you position your dragon in relation to the enemy is king. The fights are fast, tactical, and engaging while the bosses are a grand spectacle even to this day!

To top it all off, the soundtrack is absolutely masterful!

Seriously, I know the game is incredibly inaccessible but if you have even the slightest interest in this masterpiece I assure you that you won't be dissappointed. Imo, this stands proudly alongside the PS1 and N64 greats as the Saturn's proud representative amongst the best of the generation.

Hope I'm not the only one here to adore this gem!

This was one of the toughest year for me to decide

Some amazing RPG's released on PlayStation this year, Suikoden 2 and Xenogears are my 2nd and 3rd favorite RPGs release on PS after FF7. Parasite Eve would be in my top 10 on PS. Legend of Legaia another fun JRPG released this year but I would not put it as high on my list of other 3.

Baldur's Gate and Fallout 2 are both amazing western RPGs that I spent many hours in.

In the end through I had to vote for Half Life as it one of the most important FPS in history and I had so much fun playing it back in the day.

Its easily Soulcalibur it's my favorite fighting game from the 90s. It's still one of the best fighting games of all time. It was the best launch title on the Dreamcast in North America. Should be added to the list of other notable titles ASAP. Also, with a 98/100 it's the highest rated Dreamcast game on metacritic.

I started reading down the list and was like oh Resident Evil 2, gotta vote for that, wait Suidoken 2 that has to be my pick, oh no Banjo Kazooie that it the easy pick, damn Ocarnia of time, no way I cant vote for that. Wow didn't realize we got Sonic Adventures that early in Japan, graphically so far ahead of what we were getting elsewhere, but I didn't see the game at the time, so I was completely blown away by Ocarina of Time.

Damn.

Torn between Banjo Kazooie, Metal Gear Solid and Zelda Ocarina of Time.

Voted for Zelda OoT but damn too close lol

All three are great games.

Thief: The Dark Project. I have been playing Thief fan missions since the mid 2000s, they are still being actively made. A big campaign by multiple authors 'The Black Parade' will be released soon.

Nice try Rare, Capcom, Valve and Kojima, but you're all still vying for second place this year. You have some fantastic games there, but sadly, you had the misfortune of releasing the same year as Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Sorry.

I am so tempted to say Xenogears and a few others but not enough people have played this masterpiece.  It's so hard for me not to choose Xenogears and Bulk Slash. But this game is one of the best RPGs that generation.

Gotta be RE2, such an amazing game.

Legend. Glad I'm not the only one to vote for this masterpiece :)