Looking Back At 25 Years Of Game Informer's GOTY Awards

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...

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