https://linkto.run/p/G2KUXXZS

Between NA, EU and JP, which region was the best this year? Which one produced the most great games, or perhaps those few quality titles that still stand out from the rest to you?

Reference (based on user ratings at various database sites, original release dates):
Text: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ZldIgjpMG4g_P-oHK2YNnmZiUilcW4nvfO_agoBzGM/edit?usp=sharing
Visualized: https://minirevver.weebly.com/good-retro-games-by-region-of-origin.html#

Other good resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j2_LkXORtY&t=5m22s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0yQlEfrWPY

With Half-Life, Civilisation 2, Delta Force, Grim Fandango, Spyro, Unreal and Starcraft, gotta give my vote to the yanks.

Well, at that point in time, my entire life was dominated by Anno 1602 and The Settlers III. There is no other way as to put my vote to EU this year. Other good games from EU were Commandos, Populous 3, Dungeon Keeper, Heart of Darkness and Tomb Raider III.
But man, the titles from NA that year: Baldur's Gate, Starcraft, Turok 2, Unreal, Half-Life, Jazz Jackrabbit 2. And what spy my little eyes there? Star Wars: Droid Works. Haven't heard that name in forever.
At that point I was mainly on the PC with a GB on the side, so the entire JP lineup is just weird names to me, except Wario Land 2.

JP and to a lesser extent EU are great as well this year but gotta go with the region spawning Starcraft, Baldur's Gate, Tribes and Fallout 2 in the same year.

Rough ranking of my faves:
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX - GBC (1993 GB port w/ one new dungeon+the photographer, Nintendo EAD)
Cotton Boomerang/Magical Night Dreams: Cotton Boomerang - SAT (Success)
Battle Garegga - SAT (1996 ARC port w/ additional modes and options (make bullets more noticeable, code-free hidden character selection, various rapid fire settings); Eighting/Raizing)
G Darius - PS1 (1997 ARC port, Aisystem Tokyo, originally by Taito)
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue/Lunar 2: Eternal Blue - Complete - SAT (1994 MCD remake, PS1 1999, Game Arts, originally by Studio Alex)
F-Zero X - N64 (Nintendo EAD)
Akumajou Dracula X/Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - SAT (some differences, Konami Computer Entertainment Nagoya)
Panzer Dragoon Saga - SAT (Team Andromeda)
Shining Force III: Scenario 2 - SAT (Camelot Software Planning)
Shining Force III: Scenario 3 - SAT (Camelot Software Planning)
Soul Calibur - ARC (Namco)
Dragon Force II: Kamisarishi Daichi ni - SAT (Chime??, Sega & ALU)
Radiant Silvergun - SAT (ARC port w/ new story mode+save feature, Treasure)
Tekken 3 - PS1 (1997 ARC port w/ new modes, Namco)
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon 2/Goemon's Great Adventure - N64 (KCEO)
Street Fighter Alpha 3 - PS1/ARC (SAT 1999, Capcom)
Brave Fencer Musashi - PS1 (Square/SquareSoft)
Thunder Force V: Perfect System - PS1 (1997 SAT port w/ some differences, TechnoSoft)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 (Nintendo EAD)
Burning Rangers - SAT (Sonic Team)
Street Fighter Zero 2'/Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold - SAT/PS1 (incl Cammy from X-Men vs SF, Capcom)
Capcom Generation 5/Street Fighter Collection 2 - SAT/PS1 (Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Street Fighter II Dash JP), Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Street Fighter II Dash Turbo JP); Capcom)
Mega Man X4 - WIN (1997 PS1/SAT port, Capcom)
R-Type Delta - PS1 (Irem)
Capcom Generation 2 - SAT (Ghost 'N Goblins, Ghouls 'N Ghosts, Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts; Capcom)
R-Types - PS1 (1987/1989 ARC ports of R-Type & R-Type II, Racdym, originally by Irem)
Star Ocean: The Second Story - PS1 (Tri-Ace)
Suikoden II - PS1 (Konami)
Sutte Hakkun - SNES (Nintendo)
Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Edition - PS1 (DC 1999, Capcom)
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter - SAT (1997 ARC port, PS1 1999, Capcom)
Super Famicom Wars - SNES (Satellaview)(Intelligent Systems)
Capcom Generation 1 - SAT (1942, 1943, 1943 Kai; Capcom)
Metal Gear Solid - PS1 (Konami Computer Entertainment Japan/KCEJ)
Kagero: Deception II - PS1 (Tecmo)
Mizubaku Daibouken/Liquid Kids - SAT (1990 ARC port, Taito)
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - NG CD/NG/ARC (SNK)
Wario Land II/Wario Land 2 - GB/GBC (Nintendo R&D1)
Parasite Eve - PS1 (SquareSoft/Square)
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade - ARC (Sega AM3)
Virtua Fighter 3tb - ARC/DC (Sega AM2 ARC/Genki DC)
Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior EX edition - PS1 (compilation of Vampire Savior and its two Japan-only arcade updates+allows players to use all 18 Night Warriors and the two "hidden characters" (Shadow and Marionette) in all three games+Oboro Bishamon and Dark Talbain as playable characters; Capcom)
Game & Watch Gallery 2 - GBC (TOSE)
The King of Fighters '97 - PS1/SAT (1997 ARC/NG port; Ukiyotei PS1/Yumekobo SAT)
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest - NG CD/ARC (SNK)
Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire/Darkstalkers 3 - SAT (1997 ARC port; adds Donovan, Huitzil and Pyro; adds Shadow but not Marionette; Capcom)
Wachenröder - SAT (Scarab Studio)

Sega Ages: Galaxy Force II - SAT (1988 ARC port, Appaloosa Interactive (previously Novotrade), originally by Sega)

Starcraft - WIN (Blizzard Entertainment)
Starcraft: Brood War Expansion - WIN (Blizzard Entertainment)
Baldur's Gate - WIN (BioWare & Black Isle Studios)
Starsiege: Tribes - WIN (Dynamix)
Fallout 2 - WIN (Black Isle Studios)
Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion - WIN (Ensemble Studios)
Unreal - WIN (MAC 1999, Epic Games)
Motocross Madness (1998) - WIN (Rainbow Studios - US)
Spyro the Dragon - PS1 (Insomniac Games)
Half-Life - WIN (Valve Software)
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 - WIN (Epic MegaGames)
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped - PS1 (Naughty Dog)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - WIN (MAC 1999, Red Storm Entertainment)
Delta Force - WIN (NovaLogic)
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - WIN (Random Games)
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit - PS1/WIN (EA Canada PS1/EA Seattle WIN)
Acid Tetris - DOS (Dungeon Dwellers Design)
Battlezone (1998) - WIN (Activision)
Future Cop: L.A.P.D. - PS1 (EA Redwood Shores)
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 - SNES (different, EA Sports)
Gauntlet Legends - ARC (Atari Games) - 3.75
Grim Fandango - WIN (LucasArts)
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil - N64 (Iguana Entertainment) - 3.64
NHL 99 - N64/WIN (MBL Research N64/EA Sports WIN)
Myth II - WIN (Bungie)
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus - PS1/WIN (Oddworld Inhabitants PS1/Digital Dialect WIN)
James Bond 007 (1998) - GB (Saffire)

Caesar III - WIN (Impressions Games UK branch (owned by Sierra since 1995))
Robotron 64 - N64 (1996 port?, Player 1 (?), originally by Midway)
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron/Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D - N64/WIN (Factor 5 & LucasArts)


Dungeon Keeper: Gold Edition - WIN (incl expansion+level editor, Bullfrog Productions)
Populous: The Beginning (Populous 3) - WIN (Bullfrog Productions)
Kula World - PS1 (Game Design Sweden AB)
Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now - WIN (MAC 1999, Stainless Studios/Stainless Games)
The Settlers III - WIN (Blue Byte)
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines - WIN (Pyro Studios - Spain)
Warhammer: Dark Omen - WIN (Mindscape UK branch & Games Workshop)
Colony Wars: Vengeance - PS1 (Psygnosis)
MediEvil - PS1 (SCE Cambridge Studio)
Banjo-Kazooie - N64 (Rare)
Body Harvest - N64 (DMA Design)
Heart of Darkness - PS1/WIN (Amazing Studio - France)
Liero - DOS (Joosa Riekkinen - Finland)
Fighting Force - WIN (1997 PS1 port, Core Design) - 3.55
Tomb Raider: Gold - DOS (incl Unfinished Business Expansion, Core Design)

Trespasser came out that year too. The original demo still works on modern PCs.

The Streetfighter EX games were out around this time along with Coolboarders and 1080.

Also Die by the Sword.

1080 is in the list already. The others weren't well regarded enough to make it.

I was going by the pictures so I didn't need to use the google.