In 1992, Game Informer published its first annual video game awards. The one-page celebration of the year featured just a handful of categories, including Best Concept, Best Playability, and Best 8-Bit Game. While the format has changed over the decades, one game has always risen above the rest to become the standout experience of the year. Join us for a trip back through 25 years of G.I.'s Game of the Year awards.
1992: Street Fighter II
Issue #8
Capcom's genre-defining Street Fighter II was the winner of
G.I.'s first ever game of the year award, with the staff lauding the SNES port
as a "perfect translation" of the arcade sensation. Street Fighter II also won
the Best Playability award, while Sonic The Hedgehog 2 won the award for Best
Graphics.
1993: Mortal Kombat
Issue #15
In an NBA Jam-themed issue featuring a very young Andy
McNamara slam-dunking on the cover, Acclaim's Mortal Kombat K.O.'d its chief
competitor for the top slot. That said, Street Fighter II Turbo still got the
nod for Best Playability, while Shadowrun won Best RPG, Star Fox won Best
Shooter, and Aladdin won Best Translation From The Big Screen.
1994: Donkey Kong Country
Issue #22
Starting in '94, G.I. skipped an overall GOTY award, and
instead crowned year-end winners by platform. However, by comparing genre award
winners, it appears D.K.'s groundbreaking outing would have topped the Genesis'
top contender, Earthworm Jim, earning it a retroactive GOTY nod. The real
surprise is that DKC unbelievably (in hindsight) beat out Super Metroid as the
best SNES game.
1995: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest
Issue #34
The introduction of the PSX and Sega Saturn make it a bit
harder to retroactively determine an overall GOTY winner. G.I. crowned Ridge
Racer the winner for Sony's new system, while the Saturn standout was Virtua
Fighter 2. However, DKC 2 also won the award for Best Graphics, and beat out
big hits like Super Mario World 2 and Chrono Trigger, so we're giving it the nod.
1996: Super Mario 64
Issue #46
1996 saw the reintroduction of a definitive Game of the Year
award, and that honor went to the Nintendo 64's killer-app, Super Mario 64.
Mario's transition to 3D astounded the G.I. staff, and topped three huge
franchise starters: Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Crash Bandicoot. Super
Mario RPG also got plenty of love, winning the awards for Best SNES Game and
Best RPG.
1997: Final Fantasy
VII
Issue #58
Sony picked up its first GOTY award in '97, flooring the
competition with the unforgettable Final Fantasy VII. Square Soft's mega hit
also won Best PSX Game, Best Graphics, Best RPG, and Most Memorable Moment,
while Sephiroth took home the new Best Villain award. Other GOTY contenders
were Tomb Raider 2 (with Lara Croft winning the Best Hero award), and Star Fox
64, which won the Best N64 spot above Turok: The Dinosaur Hunter and GoldeneEye
007.
Coming Up Next: Game Informer's GOTY picks at the turn of the century...