Articles for December, 2014

Star Wars Episode IV: 1/6th scale Darth Vader Collectible Figure From Hot Toys
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Darth Vader is one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars saga and has frequently been regarded as one of the greatest villains in cinema history. Following the release of “The Circle is Now Complete’ teaser earlier last month, Star Wars fans have already been eagerly...
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GameSpot Editors’ Favorite Games for 2014
You've seen our official picks for the best games of 2014. You may have also seen some of our editor's already outline their top five games of the last 12 months. But if you want to know more about what individual staff members at GameSpot thought were...
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What Year Was The Best for Games?

During the last five days, we've been running a series of features looking at some of the best years in the history of video games. Our selected years--1993, 1996, 1998, 2004, and 2007--were chosen not only for the amount of outstanding games that were released within their calendar confines, but how important those games have subsequently become.

Now it's your chance to tell us your opinion. Which of those five years do you think is the best? Or have we completely gotten it wrong? If so, sound off in the comments below for what you think is the more deserving year.

Here's a recap of all of our Best Year in Gaming features:

Why 1993 Was the Best Year in Gaming

"Back in '93, arcades were still a pretty big deal, Jurassic Park confirmed that dinosaurs were real, and some of the most memorable franchises in video gaming were born. Console makers were racing to try and bring the arcade experience home with machines like the 3DO, the Atari Jaguar, and the Amiga CD32, but in the end, it was the experiences that mattered most. It's a lesson that still plays out today: it's not about what machine can push out the most pixels, it's about how good the games are."

Why 1996 Was the Best Year in Gaming

"In 1996, the industry landscape was forever altered with a handful of game-changing new franchises. It was a golden year for strong leading characters and equally strong new gameplay ideas, both from Japanese and Western studios. Icons that are now household names—including Lara Croft and Crash Bandicoot--were born in 1996. It was a good year to be a Mario fan as well, with still-beloved favorites from two branches of the franchise making their debut. Not to mention this was the year the world got Pokémon, a series that would reach dizzying heights of popularity nearly two decades later."

Why 1998 Was the Best Year in Gaming

"1998 was a year of firsts. The first narrative-driven shooter. The first three-dimensional Legend of Zelda game. The first modern stealth simulator. The first Japanese role-playing game that would drive us to catch them all. The first game to emulate cinematic techniques and direction. And the first RPG from a developer that has now become the genre's leader."

Why 2004 Was the Best Year in Gaming

"The early years of video gaming were defined by invention; 2004, by contrast, was about redefinition and refinement. Few of the year's standouts burst with wholly new ideas or introduced new genres. Instead, they set standards by which similar games would be judged in the decade to follow, and in the process, established themselves as masterpieces in their own right. You might call 2004 the year of the sequel, given the many high-profile follow-ups that iterated on the games that preceded them, but the successors that defined the year were hardly retreads. Not to mention, of course, the jewels that launched entire series' of their own, yet still shine even within the shadow of the games that followed."

Why 2007 Was the Best Year in Gaming

"2007 defined the seventh generation of consoles. This was the year that developers finally got to grips with the powerful new hardware of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and delivered games that were bigger, brasher, and more spectacular than ever before. Enduring franchises like Assassin's Creed, The Witcher, and Uncharted all made their debut in 2007, while Nintendo Wii owners were treated to one of the greatest 3D platformers ever made in the form of the sublime Super Mario Galaxy."

Vote now in the poll below. Voting closes at 8am PT on January 5, 2015, and we'll tell you the results shortly after.

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Play Halo 5 At Best Buy This Weekend
The only way to currently play the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta is to be a Xbox One Preview member or to own a copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. But soon there will be another way to play the game ahead of its release next year. Best Buy...
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New DST Items Revealed for Summer 2015: Wolverine, Cthulhu, the Big Fat Kill and More!
The season of giving may be over, but now it’s time to treat yourself! These new toys and collectibles from Diamond Select Toys were just solicited in the new issue of Previews, from Diamond Comic Distributors, and are scheduled to ship in Summer 2015. They can be pre-ordered through your local comic shop or your...
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EA Responds To Origin Account Security Concerns
Electronic Arts' online store Origin has not suffered a breach of its account database, the Battlefield and Mass Effect publisher said this week after some users reported unauthorized purchases on their accounts."We found no indication at this point of...
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Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes PC Patch Released
Encountering bugs with the recently released PC version of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes? If you are, you're probably happy to learn Kojima Productions has released a new patch that aims to address three major issues currently affecting the game. T...
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Kid Calls 911 Over PlayStation Network/Xbox Live Outage
The recent Christmas Day PlayStation Network and Xbox Live network outages caused headaches for people hoping to connect and play games. But one Florida teenager thought the downtime was enough of a problem to call 911 to see if authorities could do an...
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GTA 5 Christmas Gifts Extended Due to PSN and Xbox Live Outage
[UPDATE] You now have another chance to claim your free GTA V Christmas gifts, today and tomorrow. Happy New Year!In case you missed out, the GTA Online Festive Surprise inventory gifts will be available again on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. &md...
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Pop! #Marvel : Guardians of the Galaxy Series 2 from @OriginalFunko
There’s a few new Pop!’s in town..Or space. We are back with another series of Guardians of the Galaxy Pop! Something was missing from Series 1… VILLAINS! We’ve added an adorable array of the the most devious characters! Complete the Guardians of the Galaxy Pop! collection with Yondu, Ronan, Nebula, The Collector, and Thanos! Super villain...
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