Welcome back to our Best Year in Gaming March Madness bracket competition! Yesterday we looked at 1985 – a year with two of the greatest games of all time – and how it compared to 2013, one of the biggest years for MMOs. And fueled by the strength of Super Mario Bros. and Tetris, 1985 became the second pre-90s year in our competition to beat a much younger competitor, more than doubling 2013’s vote count.
Result: 1985 beats 2013
Today we’re looking at a much more lopsided competition, comparing 1984 to 1999. And look, I know, it’s not going to be a tough one. Sometimes it’s just like that, and even though you fought all season to make the big tournament, you get to watch Michigan’s big man block shots with his elbows against your scrappy team in the first round.
VS.
The video game market crashed in 1983 and a year later was still recovering. In Japan the Famicom was slowly gaining steam, and in the US apple was launching its Macintosh computer, while some notable PC releases were creating the adventure game genre. On the tabletop, we got the first edition of Battletech, so hey that’s something.
And then there’s 1999, a year so loaded I won’t be shocked if it makes the final four. Tough break, 1984 – I look forward to your guys talk about how they’re just glad to be here after it’s all over.
If you’re interested in voting on the outcome, head over to our Patreon and join our Discord server to vote. Otherwise, check back tomorrow for the winner and the next matchup in the Southeast Conference.
This article is part of a larger series on the best year in gaming. For more years, click this link. Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
