https://linkto.run/p/E2NILCSV

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=rdXP_ujWSJU&t=3m27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY7tMW_cfx8

This concludes the experiment, thank you for your participation.

Japan this year, with the arrival of the Dreamcast a lot of games first appeared out of Japan with what will become the norm over the next ten years, open world, online play abd err cover shooting but overall it was decent ebd of decade over there.

ResidentLeever you gonna wait ten years and then compile another list for the 00s?

Wow what a year. I didn't really play anthing from that year back in the day and even retrospectively only 2 or 3. I only played Half-Life: Opposing Force bak in the day. I played Unreal gold just last year.
FreeSpace 2, Age of Empires II, Planescape:Torment and SimCity 3000 are all games I played, but never finished.

America. Just barely though, It was a weak year overall compared to the previous three years.

Hehe not that long perhaps but I still need to catch up on most of the '00s, then also document it like I have with these years. I didn't play that much besides some PS2, PC and GBA games, then basically went back to retro games during the latter half of it.

I think there will also be more cross-Region games from the '00s onwards, not sure.

It's got to be NA for me in the end, though there's quite a few JP games that I haven't played yet. Rough ranking of my faves from this year:
Ape Escape - PS1 (Japan Studio (Sony))
Gran Turismo 2 - PS1 (Polyphony Digital (Sony))
Bangai-O/Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O - DC/N64 (Treasure)
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere - PS1 (Namco)
Bomberman 64: The Second Attack! - N64 (Hudson Soft/Hudson)
SoulCalibur - DC (1998 ARC port w/ some differences, Namco)
ChuChu Rocket! - DC (Sonic Team)
Dungeons & Dragons Collection - SAT (1994/1996 ARC ports, Capcom) - 3.85
Metal Slug X - ARC/NG (PS1 2000, SNK)
Crazy Taxi - ARC (Sega AM3)
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue/Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete - PS1 (1998 SAT port, Game Arts, MCD original by Studio Alex)
Ferrari F355 Challenge - ARC (Sega AM2)
Grandia - PS1 (1997 SAT port, Game Arts)
Strider 2 - ARC (PS1 2000, Capcom)
Final Fantasy VIII - PS1 (Square)
Front Mission 3 - PS1 (Square)
Game & Watch Gallery 3 - GBC (TOSE)
Mario Golf - GBC (different, Camelot Software Planning)
Mario Golf - N64 (Camelot Software Planning)
Omega Boost - PS1 (Polyphony Digital (Sony))
The House of the Dead 2 - DC (1998 ARC port, CRI, originally by Sega AM1 & Sega AM4)
Metal Gear Solid Integral - PS1 (PC 2000, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan)
Monster Rancher 2 - PS1 (Tecmo)
Pokemon Snap - N64 (HAL Labs)
Resident Evil 2 - DC/N64/WIN (1998 PS1 port, Capcom)
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad (Shock Troopers 2) - NG (1998 ARC port, Saurus)
Tekken Tag Tournament - ARC (PS2 2000, Namco)
Space Channel 5 - DC (Sega Software R&D Dept. 9)
Street Fighter Alpha 3/Street Fighter Zero 3 - DC/SAT (1998 ARC port, Capcom)
Super Smash Bros. - N64 (HAL Laboratory, Creatures Inc. & Game Freak)
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne - PS1 (Capcom Production Studio 2)
Threads of Fate - PS1 (Square Product Development Division 3)
Um Jammer Lammy - PS1 (NanaOn-Sha)
Valkyrie Profile - PS1 (Tri-Ace)
Virtua Tennis/Power Smash - ARC (DC 2000, Sega Software R&D Dept. 3)


Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion - WIN (BioWare - Canada)
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia - WIN (New World Computing)
Unreal Tournament - WIN (Epic Games & Digital Extremes)
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings - WIN (Ensemble Studios)
System Shock 2 - WIN (Irrational Games & Looking Glass Studios)
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - WIN (Westwood Studios)
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade Expansion - WIN (New World Computing)
Homeworld - WIN (Relic Entertainment - Canada)
SimCity 3000 - WIN (Maxis)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear - WIN (Red Storm Entertainment)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - PS1 (Neversoft)
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! - PS1 (Insomniac Games)
Half-Life: Counter Strike - WIN (Mod, Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess Cliffe, original game by Valve)
Hydro Thunder - ARC (Midway Games)
Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files - WIN (JJ2+one new episode, Epic MegaGames)
Unreal Gold - WIN (incl Unreal Mission Pack: Return to Na Pali, Legend Entertainment (Expansion), original by Epic Games & Digital Extremes)
Tyrian 2000 - WIN (adds a 5th episode+new modes and ships, Eclipse Software)
Quake III: Arena - WIN (DC 2000, id Software)
Crash Team Racing/CTR: Crash Team Racing - PS1 (Naughty Dog)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - PS1/WIN (DC 2000, Crystal Dynamics)
Gauntlet Legends - N64 (1998 ARC port, Atari Games)
Planescape: Torment - WIN (Black Isle Studios)
Nuclear Strike 64 - N64 (Pacific Coast Power & Light (?), originally by Electronic Arts)
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Birth of the Federation - WIN (MicroProse)
Syphon Filter - PS1 (Eidetic)

Hydro Thunder - DC (ARC port, Eurocom Entertainment Software, originally by Midway Games)
Pharaoh - WIN (Impressions Games (Sierra))
Shadow Man - N64/WIN (Acclaim Studios Teesside - UK-based)


Aliens Versus Predator - WIN (Rebellion Developments)
Dungeon Keeper 2 - WIN (Bullfrog Productions)
Rayman 2: The Great Escape - WIN/N64 (Ubi Pictures/Ubisoft Montpellier)
Driver - PS1 (Reflections Interactive/Ubisoft Reflections)
Outcast - WIN (Appeal - Belgium)
Tomb Raider II Gold/Tomb Raider II: Golden Mask - WIN (5 new levels, Core Design) - 3.89
Wipeout 3 - PS1 (Psygnosis)
Worms: Armageddon - DC/N64/WIN (originally on PC, Team17 WIN etc./Infogrames N64)