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00:00Where is she chief? Where's Cortana? Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're showcasing the 25
00:07best years in video games based on each year's game releases, consoles and trends.
00:16Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:21the bell to get notified about our latest videos. Number 25, 2020. Although it sounds strange to
00:28call 2020 a good year by any margin, with the start of COVID-19, we can't deny it was
00:32a great year for gamers. Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing New Horizons arrived the
00:36same day, a partnership that was fully embraced by both wildly different fanbases.
00:47Sony was out in full force with their story-driven exclusives, Spider-Man Miles
00:51Morales, The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima.
01:01And on the indie side, one of the most beloved roguelikes of all time arrived in Supergiant's
01:06acclaimed Hades. With everyone stuck inside, 2020 was a huge year of financial growth that,
01:10for better or worse, also saw the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series XS at the end of the
01:15year.
01:21Number 24, 1993. In 1993, most developers were beginning to dip into the 3D realm with interesting
01:27results. On the home console side, the Super Nintendo's Super FX chip made Star Fox look
01:32like something out of the future.
01:41On the PC side, id Software's original Doom perfected the blueprint of the boomer shooter.
01:52While Cyan's Myst became one of the most influential puzzle games ever made. In an arcade, Sega's Virtua
01:57Fighter stood out against Super Street Fighter 2, and Mortal Kombat 2 was the first 3D fighting game,
02:02though all were still massively popular.
02:11Mortal Kombat 2 also played an important role towards the end of the year, being one of the
02:15subjects in the first congressional hearing about adult content in video games that would
02:19lead to the ESRB.
02:24Sub-Zero wins. Fatality.
02:29Number 23, 2025.
02:312025 certainly wasn't a perfect year for games, with rising console prices and continued studio
02:36layoffs. On the other hand, some of the best games of the decade so far were released this
02:39year. Nintendo released its more powerful follow-ups to the Switch, with Mario Kart World
02:43and Donkey Kong Bonanza being standouts.
02:53And Sony brought more to the interactive storytelling table with Death Stranding 2
02:57and Ghost of Yotei.
03:06However, what really makes 2025 memorable is what happened outside of AAA Studios.
03:10Games like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Claire Obscure Expedition 33 showed that big scale
03:15could still be reached with smaller budgets.
03:29Even smaller teams gave us Dispatch, Hades 2 and Hollow Knight Silksong, showing 2025 was incredible
03:35for indies.
03:43Number 22, 1989.
03:461989 saw the release of many games that are deserving of praise. But what earns this year a spot on
03:50the list is its hardware.
03:52Both the Turbo Grax 16 and the Sega Genesis were released in North America in 1989, offering players some nice
03:57alternatives to Nintendo. The latter would help Sega become Nintendo's first big competitor since entering the video game space,
04:03which was only good for players. More importantly to Nintendo's history, it also released the Game Boy this year.
04:08With the likes of Tetris and Super Mario Land, Nintendo's iconic handheld exploded onto the scene.
04:13Not only did it help Nintendo continue to dominate, it was also an impressive technological leap forward for gaming as
04:18a whole.
04:26Number 21, 2009.
04:282009 was a prominent year for IPs. Several standalone games became franchises with the likes of Uncharted 2, Left 4
04:34Dead 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 all released this year.
04:45That's not to mention strong entries in other franchises, like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The Sims 3 and Resident
04:50Evil 5.
04:57As much fun as all these games were and continue to be, it's also nice to look back on everything
05:01that started here.
05:02From Software began the era of the Souls-like with its genre-defining Demon's Souls, just as Gearbox's Borderlands popularized
05:08the looter shooter.
05:09Then there's the game that captured the love of comic fans everywhere, Rocksteady's seminal Batman Arkham Asylum.
05:26Number 20, 1991.
05:28In 1991, Nintendo finally brought 16-bits to North America through the release of the SNES.
05:35Still one of the company's most fondly remembered consoles, it launched with the stellar Super Mario World.
05:46However, Nintendo's plumber had some of his thunder stolen by Sega's future mascot, a cool blue hedgehog named Sonic.
05:53Sonic's first outing was the best-selling home console release of the year, kickstarting the long-lasting feud between fans.
06:06Outside of the home market, Capcom began the golden age of arcade fighters with the juggernaut Street Fighter 2.
06:12It was such a monumental improvement over the first that Capcom would re-release various versions on consoles for years
06:19to come.
06:25Number 19, 1994.
06:271994 was a fantastic year for Nintendo fans.
06:30The SNES got wonderful and varied releases like Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI, and the seminal Donkey Kong Country.
06:43The Nintendo-Sega rivalry was in high form as the Genesis saw the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
06:49But while this console war was happening, a new challenger was about to enter the arena.
06:54Sony released its first console, the PlayStation in Japan.
06:57PlayStation, released.
06:59Things weren't quiet on the PC front either.
07:021994 saw the release of the highly influential System Shock.
07:06And the start of what would become one of the most popular RPG franchises with the Elder Scrolls Arena.
07:12It was just a great year all around.
07:14Number 18, 2008.
07:162008 wasn't a big year in terms of changing trends or new consoles.
07:20But it was an absolute banger of a year when it came to games.
07:24The Wii was still dominating with releases like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Animal Crossing City Folk.
07:30However, the competition's games weren't anything to sneeze at either.
07:34Grand Theft Auto 4, Fallout 3, and Metal Gear Solid 4 were each fantastic entries in their respective franchises.
07:46If you wanted something new, there was also plenty to choose from.
07:49Players could slay hordes of zombies in Left 4 Dead, get slayed by necromorphs in Dead Space,
07:54or skip the violence altogether and build cute platforming levels in LittleBigPlanet.
07:59An abstract plane of beautiful wonderment just waiting to be explored.
08:05Number 17, 1992.
08:07Like most years, 1992 saw some incredible games.
08:10The SNES's second year hit hard with Super Mario Kart, and the North American release of A Link to the
08:16Past.
08:22Sonic got a sequel that managed to surpass the great original.
08:25However, from a historical standpoint, those family-friendly releases were a bit overshadowed by a widespread topic.
08:31With the release of Mortal Kombat in arcades,
08:38Scorpion wins.
08:40Video game violence became a frequent talking point.
08:43The game was instrumental in leading to the creation of the ESRB, as was Sega's cult classic Night Trap.
08:49Violence was becoming more prominent in PC games as well.
08:53The grandfather of the FPS, Wolfenstein 3D, put players in the shoes of the Nazi-killing BJ Blazkowicz.
09:05Number 16, 2002.
09:072002 saw several developers release some of their most influential work as well as the beginnings of some exciting new
09:13franchises.
09:14From Nintendo, we got Super Mario Sunshine and the incredible Metroid Prime.
09:18However, the competition was intense.
09:21Third-party games like GTA Vice City and The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind were ground-breaking entries in their franchises,
09:27and kept players busy for hours on end.
09:34There were plenty of new options to choose from, as well as with the likes of Ratchet & Clank, Battlefield,
09:40Splinter Cell, and Kingdom Hearts.
09:42It's no wonder, then, that 2002 was a great year of growth for the industry.
09:46All video game-related sales were up by 10% over the previous year.
09:55Number 15, 2018.
09:57Some of the best games in their respective genres were released in 2018.
10:01The PlayStation 4 churned out two of its most noteworthy exclusives in Marvel's Spider-Man and God of War.
10:07We also got two of the best fighters in recent memory with Dragon Ball FighterZ,
10:11and the massive celebration of gaming that is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
10:20Then you had the highly anticipated Red Dead Redemption 2,
10:24Rockstar's first major release since 2013's Grand Theft Auto V.
10:33All of these releases were met with high acclaim, though smaller developers weren't outdone.
10:39We got a plethora of fantastic indie titles, such as the roguelike Dead Cells
10:43and the tough yet immensely satisfying Celeste.
10:51Number 14, 2010.
10:53Speaking of Red Dead Redemption, the beloved Western released in 2010,
10:57earning a slew of awards in the process.
11:00However, it was more a year of sequels than anything else.
11:02The Wii received one of the best Mario games in existence.
11:05BioWare came back strong with Mass Effect 2,
11:08while Ubisoft continued Ezio's story with Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.
11:16Both Sony and Microsoft released outstanding entries in some of their most popular IPs,
11:22God of War 3 and Halo Reach.
11:24Although they still tried to copy Nintendo with the PlayStation Move and Kinect.
11:27Additionally, indie games were beginning to break into the mainstream
11:30with releases like Limbo and Super Meat Boy.
11:33Number 13, 2006.
11:362006 saw the launch of two incredibly different consoles.
11:39The Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3.
11:42The Wii would go on to be the most important console of the generation,
11:45partially thanks to the pack-in Wii Sports.
11:47Additionally, Zelda fans got Twilight Princess as a launch title
11:51and a GameCube swan song.
11:53Nintendo also took Mario back to his roots with New Super Mario Bros. on the DS.
12:03But it wasn't just Nintendo that thrived.
12:05Much more mature franchises like Gears of War, Saints Row and Dead Rising were born in 2006.
12:11And they had a proper console to spread their wings thanks to the Xbox 360 having been released the previous
12:17year.
12:17Number 12, 2004.
12:20If you were a PC player in 2004, you had it made.
12:23Doom returned after being gone for a decade while Half-Life 2 essentially redefined the entire FPS genre.
12:30Additionally, World of Warcraft set the standard for MMORPGs to the point where numerous expansions have kept people playing for
12:36years.
12:41At least console players weren't left out of the fun.
12:43GTA San Andreas, Metal Gear Solid 3 and Halo 2 still bring back countless fond memories.
12:49We also saw some solid franchise foundations built with Far Cry and Monster Hunter.
12:54It was a quieter year for Nintendo, except for the end when it launched the DS,
12:58which would go on to be one of Nintendo's most profitable endeavors.
13:02Number 11, 2011.
13:04From one dimension to the next, Nintendo released a technologically impressive 3DS in 2011.
13:09However, even with Ocarina of Time 3D and Super Mario 3D Land, it struggled initially before finding its footing in
13:16later years.
13:172011 also saw the release of the motion-centric Skyward Sword, though it paled in comparison to how grand in
13:23scope AAA games were becoming.
13:25Developers became more infatuated with the open world as evidenced by Arkham City, Dark Souls and Skyrim, each of which
13:32were must-plays.
13:37Elsewhere, creativity and imagination flourished.
13:40LittleBigPlanet 2 led the charge for user-generated content, while the puzzles of Portal 2 were endlessly inventive.
13:47And if you wanted to blend creativity with the open world, Minecraft also got a full release in 2011.
13:57Number 10, 2005.
13:59In 2005, the seventh generation of consoles began with the launch of the Xbox 360, which is still Microsoft's best
14:06console.
14:07While it didn't release until close to the end of the year, we saw a cavalcade of jaw-dropping games
14:12beforehand.
14:13Coming off the DS launch the previous year, Nintendo released Mario Kart DS and the surprisingly popular Nintendogs.
14:19It also gave the GameCube some much-needed street cred with the phenomenal Resident Evil 4, still one of the
14:25best entries in the series.
14:32However, it couldn't outshine the PS2, which got some unbelievably good exclusives.
14:37Shadow of the Colossus, Guitar Hero and God of War all made PlayStation the platform of choice.
14:47Number 9, 1997.
14:49In the middle of the original PlayStation's lifespan, it got some truly remarkable games.
14:54Symphony of the Night is revered as a crowning achievement in the series.
14:58So too is Final Fantasy 7, whose characters and plot we still adore.
15:07Nintendo was out in full force too.
15:10Star Fox 64 introduced the wider world to Rumble via the Rumble Pack peripheral, an immersive feature we're eternally grateful
15:17for.
15:17Additionally, GoldenEye 007 popularized the FPS genre on consoles.
15:22It, along with the North American release of Mario Kart 64, began to shape the N64 as a haven for
15:29multiplayer.
15:35PC players weren't left out as some new franchises took flight, including Diablo and Fallout.
15:45Number 8, 2001.
15:47Although 2001 saw Sega exit the home console market due to the Dreamcast's failure, it was still an incredible year
15:53for games.
15:54Microsoft launched the first Xbox with plans to focus on online functionality.
15:58Nintendo released the GameCube, its first disc-based console, as well as the Game Boy Advance.
16:03In between all of that, there were way too many good games to list.
16:06On the Nintendo front, Super Smash Bros. Melee improved on the original in every way.
16:14And on the Microsoft front, Halo revolutionized the console FPS.
16:25Elsewhere, Grand Theft Auto III took the franchise in exciting new directions, while Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, and
16:31Jak and Daxter made it difficult for PS2 players to narrow down what they wanted to play.
16:36For the way I figure it, in this business, a lot of you don't got into the way.
16:41Number 7, 1996.
16:43More important than Nintendo's transition to 16-bit was its move to 3D.
16:47Although the N64 only launched with a few games, it really only needed one.
16:52Super Mario 64.
16:54Often credited as one of the most important games ever released.
16:57It showcased Nintendo's pristine prowess for game development.
17:04However, the North American launch of the PlayStation the previous year meant it had some stiff competition.
17:09Sony's console got franchise starters Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, as well as its own platforming star in Crash Bandicoot.
17:21On PC, players were still eating well when it came to FPS's as both Duke Nukem 3D and the oft
17:27-imitated Quake launched that year.
17:32Number 6, 2000.
17:34Now, we have finally come to the launch year of the PlayStation 2.
17:38One of the most momentous moments in video games.
17:41As of writing, it is still the best-selling console of all time with 160 million units.
17:46But it isn't the only reason 2000 was a great year for video games.
17:50For RPG fans, we've perhaps seen no greater year in terms of quantity and quality.
17:55Diablo 2, Baldur's Gate 2, Final Fantasy 9, Deus Ex, Chrono Cross.
18:00There were simply too many to keep track of, which is a wonderful problem to have.
18:04Nintendo seemed to be winding down with the upcoming release of the GameCube,
18:08but the N64 still got the GoldenEye spiritual successor, Perfect Dark, and the beautifully existential Majora's Mask.
18:19Number 5, 2017.
18:222017 was a make or break year for Nintendo, and we were ecstatic to see the Switch take off the
18:26way it did.
18:27It launched with Breath of the Wild, which managed to make the open-world aspect its own and impact the
18:32work of multiple developers.
18:38It wasn't just Zelda that had us enamored with the Switch as both Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey released
18:44that year.
18:45Resident Evil returned stronger than ever with a terrifying seventh entry, while Sega went all the way back to Sonic's
18:51roots with Mania.
18:58For better or worse, 2017 was also the year that led to the Battle Royale craze with PUBG and Fortnite's
19:05releases.
19:05That's not to mention Horizon Zero Dawn and the worldwide launch of Persona 5.
19:13No. 4, 2013.
19:18Leading up to the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in late 2013, we received some of
19:23the best games of all time.
19:25Storytelling was growing to a point where games could match and even surpass movies and TV.
19:30On the AAA side, we got Bioshock Infinite, the adventurous Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag, and Naughty Dog's Cherish The
19:37Last of Us.
19:38Well, I have some interesting news for you.
19:40Where were you, Tess?
19:42West End District.
19:43On the indie side, we got the tragic brothers, A Tale of Two Sons, and the imaginative, The Stanley Parable.
19:49Nintendo released the best Zelda in Gears with A Link Between Worlds and the multiplayer-centric Super Mario 3D World.
20:00However, what outshined them all was GTA 5, one of the most respected and best-selling games of all time.
20:06Number 3, 1985.
20:09The early 80's were a great time for arcade games, such as 1980's release of Missile Command and Pac-Man.
20:14But once the home console market got over the crash of 1983, that's when we got something truly special.
20:21The North American release of Nintendo's first console is one of the most vital moments in gaming history.
20:26Bringing with it the original Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt, it began to repair the wreckage of what Atari
20:32left behind.
20:35While much of its impact would carry over to 1986, we also saw the launch of multiple arcade classics in
20:421985.
20:43These included the tough-as-nails Ghosts and Goblins, the classic fantasy Gauntlet, and Konami's definitive shoot-em-up, Radius.
20:54Number 2, 2007.
20:562007 saw more new franchises launch than most.
21:00Against all odds, each of them deserved our time.
21:02But there were also phenomenal games in established franchises, meaning any type of player could be satisfied.
21:07For the more casual crowd, you had Rock Band and Super Mario Galaxy.
21:11For fans of RPGs, you had The Witcher and Mass Effect.
21:14For action-adventure players, you had Assassin's Creed and Uncharted.
21:17But the genre that thrived the most in 2007 was the FPS.
21:21Bioshock brought something entirely new to the table, while Modern Warfare and Halo 3 were incredible additions to their franchises
21:29that made some wonderful improvements.
21:35Valve got ridiculously creative with the first-person view through the innovative portal and the long-awaited Team Fortress 2.
21:46Number 1, 1998.
21:48Simply put, it doesn't get any better than this.
21:50No other year had the absurd amount of industry-shaping releases the way 1998 did.
21:55From Nintendo, we got the near-perfect Ocarina of Time, as well as North American releases for the original Pokemon
22:02games.
22:08PlayStation saw the seminal sequels Resident Evil 2 and Metal Gear Solid.
22:12This is Snake. Colonel, can you hear me?
22:15Over on PC, Half-Life turned Valve into an adored developer, while Starcraft, Baldur's Gate, and Grim Fandango are still
22:22some of the most beloved entries in their genres.
22:29There were also a ton of games that, while not groundbreaking, were supremely fun to play, like Mario Party, Banjo
22:35-Kazooie, and Spyro the Dragon.
22:37It was a marvelous time to be a player.
22:46What are some of your favorite years in video game history?
22:49Did we leave off something important?
22:50Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments, and we'll see you next time.
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