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[IAmRei]

No, Square is mostly one series and one style of game. There are others that have more variety.

other than RPG, they have racing, roguelike, turn based strategy, even visual novel, shmups, fighting, action adventure, etc

 

[Danjin44]

i want them to do it just to annoy Danjin44

 

[Judge Magister]

Rockstar Games
2013-2025

 

[TGO]

Capcom Late 90's to late 00's
Konami was pretty close too

 

[Raven117]

Squaresoft from 1993 to 2001 off the top of my head:
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy X
Xenogears
Secret of Mana
Vagrant Story
Front Mission 3
Chrono Trigger
Legend of Mana
Secret of Evermore
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve 2

I can't think of a better stretch of releases in gaming history than 90s and early 2000s Squaresoft.

They couldn't miss in those days. Across genres

 

[Cakeboxer]

Blizzard 1992-2012
Bullfrog 1989-1999
Westwood 1992-2002

 

[BlackTron]

If we're going for the most consistency for the longest duration of time, then the answer is probably Capcom. Square has a denser run of very high quality titles for the time that it lasted.

 

[SamuraiEdge]

Since 2017, Capcom has done very well with smart moves, improving their engine while expanding their staff count and IPs. They've made this gen for me.

 

[CashPrizes]

Squaresofts run from 1992-1995 is pretty goated:
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy V
Secret of Mana
Breath of Fire
Final Fantasy VI
Live A Live
Front Mission
Chrono Trigger
Trials of Mana

Seeing as how Chrono Trigger and FFVI are like both contenders for top 20 games of all time (both in my personal top 10) and Secret of Mana, FFIV and Trials of Mana are not far behind, don't think any other company has done that in 4 years. Bioware with Baldurs Gate 2, Mass Effect 2, Kotor and Dragon Age 1 is pretty great but that is a 10 year span.

 

[calistan]

Not sure how that's relevant since the thread is about best stretch of quality releases. Nothing about the variety of them.

I guess lack of variety means that if you weren't a huge fan of that genre, their stretch of quality releases might have passed you by.

Square didn't mean much to me personally, as I don't like Final Fantasy.

 

[Griffon]

ITT people not understanding what unbroken stretch means.

Yes Square and Nintendo made lot of great games, but it was often broken up by some mediocre experimental shit.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Old Bethesda was pretty good:

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Fallout 3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 

[cartman414]

Squaresoft from 1993 to 2001 off the top of my head:
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy X
Xenogears
Secret of Mana
Vagrant Story
Front Mission 3
Chrono Trigger
Legend of Mana
Secret of Evermore
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve 2

I can't think of a better stretch of releases in gaming history than 90s and early 2000s Squaresoft.

Amateur. You left 1991 and 1992 out.

 

[cartman414]

I'll always go to bat for 90s Square and 90s Rare, but c'mon, it's Nintendo. Specifically in the 90s (again).

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Super Mario World (1991)
Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992)
Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)
Super Metroid (1994)
Donkey Kong (1994)
EarthBound (1995)
Yoshi's Island (1995)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
StarFox 64 (1997)
Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

I could put lesser-greats on there if I wanted to fill it out more (like Super Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and Kirby Super Star), but I wanted to keep it to games people often cite as some of the best ever. I dare anyone to come up with a ten-year span of a single developer that approaches this level of variety, popularity, and critical acclaim.

Super Mario Kart >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pokemon

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

For a truly prolific stretch of hits that changed the gaming landscape, it's hard to beat Rare's time with Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Country (redesign of a Nintendo character that persists to this day), Goldeneye and Perfect Dark (redefined console shooters), plus numerous lesser things like Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Diddy Kong Racing, etc.

Yup, my first thought was Rare 1994-2001. Hardly a bad game in there. When the worst of the bunch is DK64, you've definitely had a good run.

 

[Toots]

No one can ever beat the run Sega x Michael Jackson had from 1989 to 1994, from moonwalker to sonic 3 and knuckles

 

[Tiamat2san]

Ryu ga gotoku Studio (RGG)
Even when before they were named like this.
Except Yakuza dead souls no bad games and some masterpieces.

 

[Team Andromeda]

Team Andromeda - PD, PD Zwei, Saga . Nothing comes close

AM#2 - Hang-on Space Harrier, OutRun, AB II, Power Drift and well I can't be bothered to list the rest

GameArts - Lunar, Slipheed, Lunar 2, GunGriffon, Grandia, GunGriffon 2, Grandia 2

Also, RARE's run on the Snes and N64 was pretty nuts

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Falcom

2004 - Still Ongoing

 

[Signalis]

Squaresoft from 1993 to 2001 off the top of my head:
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy X
Xenogears
Secret of Mana
Vagrant Story
Front Mission 3
Chrono Trigger
Legend of Mana
Secret of Evermore
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve 2

I can't think of a better stretch of releases in gaming history than 90s and early 2000s Squaresoft.

Square Enix during the SNES and PS1 era were amazing! Pity they are a mere shadow of it's former self. I mean, Final Fantasy isn't even relevant anymore

 

[WoJ]

Amateur. You left 1991 and 1992 out.

I considered listing stuff from that time too but I wasn't sure everyone considers FF4 and FF5 in the same regards as the stuff from SoM forward. Personally I'd include it as I have a soft spot for FF4 as my favorite FF game. But when I think or people talking about peak Square from the SNES era it usually starts with FFVI and CT. But I don't disagree with your point at all.

 

[Labadal]

I don't know THE best, but for my particular tastes, Squaresoft were on a roll for a long period of time. That's not even including their non-localized stuff.

 

[Ceadeus]

i want them to do it just to annoy Danjin44

How come, he doesn't like Kings Field?

 

[IAmRei]

I recall, dragon quest never failed, maybe i'm missing one or two, but they are considered as success as whole.

I'm not much fans for the gameplay, and some of designs, but the artstyle is great

 

[calico]

Bullfrog & LucasArts in the ~90s.

Kinda hard now games seem to take 5-7 years instead of 1-2.

 

[EviLore]

1992 Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
1993 Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
1994 System Shock
1998 Thief: The Dark Project
1999 System Shock 2
2000 Thief 2: The Metal Age

An amazing run of games straight into bankruptcy for Looking Glass Studios.

 

[Guilty_AI]

How come, he doesn't like Kings Field?

He just has this weird antagonism towards first person games

 

[AMC124c41]

1992 Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
1993 Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
1994 System Shock
1998 Thief: The Dark Project
1999 System Shock 2
2000 Thief 2: The Metal Age

An amazing run of games straight into bankruptcy for Looking Glass Studios.

This one is painful, ouchies

 

[NeverYouMind]

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999)
Spider-Man (2000)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2001)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (2002)
Tony Hawk's Underground (2003)
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (2004)
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (2005)
Gun (2005)
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (2006)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007)

 

[AJUMP23]

Capcom in almost the entire decade of the 2000's hands down.
Seriously, wtf Gaf I thought y'all better than this.



And the WiiU never happened?

WiiU had amazing games.

 

[cireza]

Retro Studios come to mind. They have yet to release one game that is not at least great.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I'll always go to bat for 90s Square and 90s Rare, but c'mon, it's Nintendo. Specifically in the 90s (again).

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Super Mario World (1991)
Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992)
Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)
Super Metroid (1994)
Donkey Kong (1994)
EarthBound (1995)
Yoshi's Island (1995)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
StarFox 64 (1997)
Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

I could put lesser-greats on there if I wanted to fill it out more (like Super Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and Kirby Super Star), but I wanted to keep it to games people often cite as some of the best ever. I dare anyone to come up with a ten-year span of a single developer that approaches this level of variety, popularity, and critical acclaim.

You put in an inferior handheld port of an arcade classic and a shitty Starfox title.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

Rockstar Games (2001–2018)

GTA III (2001)
Vice City (2002)
San Andreas (2004)
Bully (2006)
GTA IV (2008)
Red Dead Redemption (2010)
GTA V (2013)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

I feel like R* games are an absolute timeline for evolution of technology in the gaming space.

 

[BlackTron]

I'll always go to bat for 90s Square and 90s Rare, but c'mon, it's Nintendo. Specifically in the 90s (again).

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Super Mario World (1991)
Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992)
Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)
Super Metroid (1994)
Donkey Kong (1994)
EarthBound (1995)
Yoshi's Island (1995)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
StarFox 64 (1997)
Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

I could put lesser-greats on there if I wanted to fill it out more (like Super Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and Kirby Super Star), but I wanted to keep it to games people often cite as some of the best ever. I dare anyone to come up with a ten-year span of a single developer that approaches this level of variety, popularity, and critical acclaim.

Sometimes I look through games from this time if I'm in a rut to remember why gaming ever made me so excited in the first place. There were many great games, and seemed like something insanely megaton was always just around the corner. Just looking at the boxes still give me goosebumps. The striking art on Yoshi's Island, Star Fox's fat box that included the Rumble Pak, or Pokemon R/B/Y lined up with that OG monster art. Hell making Mario 3 label nothing but Mario wearing the new flight powerup was brilliant. You bet we were excited.

I would just add Mario RPG, which maybe wasn't purely Nintendo but neither was Pokemon. Besides it is a way to cross-plug Square.

 

[HRK69]

I feel like R* games are an absolute timeline for evolution of technology in the gaming space.

Totally agree, every Rockstar release felt like a moment in time. A true timeline of milestones

Love seeing all these lists, makes you appreciate the journey even more

 

[Rran]

Retro Studios come to mind. They have yet to release one game that is not at least great.

Probably true (although Prime 2 isn't really my thing), only problem is that they've got such giant gaps between games. But Metroid and DK were great in their hands.

 

[Rran]

You put in an inferior handheld port of an arcade classic

DK '94 ain't a port of nothing, it only tricks the player into thinking it is in the first 2% of the game. It's legitimately a phenomenal puzzle-platformer.

 

[Fess]

Nintendo's Zelda team:
Zelda 1-TOTK. There hasn't been an actual bad Zelda game yet.

Nintendo's Mario team:
Super Mario Bros-Super Mario Wonders. That's a 4 decades long winning streak.

 

[hemo memo]

Nintendo's Zelda team:
Zelda 1-TOTK. There hasn't been an actual bad Zelda game by Nintendo yet.

Ftfy becuase... you know.

 

[NeverYouMind]

Nintendo's Zelda team:
Zelda 1-TOTK. There hasn't been an actual bad Zelda game yet.

Skyward Sword.

Nintendo's Mario team:
Super Mario Bros-Super Mario Wonders. That's a 4 decades long winning streak.

Doki Doki Panic reskin. New Super Mario Bros. is a downgrade of original. Super Mario Run ring any bells?

 

[Hideous Snake]

Bioware:

KOTOR 1 to Mass Effect 3.

SquareSoft from 1994 - 2000.

7 years of pure dominance , much like the 90's Bulls.

Squaresoft from 1993 to 2001 off the top of my head:
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy X
Xenogears
Secret of Mana
Vagrant Story
Front Mission 3
Chrono Trigger
Legend of Mana
Secret of Evermore
Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve 2

I can't think of a better stretch of releases in gaming history than 90s and early 2000s Squaresoft.

Rockstar Games (2001–2018)

GTA III (2001)
Vice City (2002)
San Andreas (2004)
Bully (2006)
GTA IV (2008)
Red Dead Redemption (2010)
GTA V (2013)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

Spot on lads. SPOT ON! I agree although R* never fell off

 

[Northeastmonk]

This year looks to be pretty solid (you can rarely say that anymore)

 

[Ogbert]

It's Nintendo EPD (to include EAD pre-2015).

 

[CrimsonTide]

From software over the course of 15 years
Demon souls - Dark souls - Dark souls 2 - Bloodborne - Dark souls 3 - Sekiro - Elden Ring - Armored Core 6

This is the only answer

close the thread now

 

[Shadowstar39]

As an middle aged RPG fan (Both Western and Eastern, the 16-32 bit consoles shined and pc from 1988-2002 was also an amazing time with big collections of games or game series)

For Console:

Squaresoft - in the 1990s and it wasn't even close. Starting with FF1 in 1990:
Final Fantasy: FF1- > FF2(4) FF3(6) -> FF7- > FF8 - > FF tactics - > FF 9 - > FF anthologies(5 &6) -> FF10 - > FF12 (13 stopped the trend)
Vagrant Story
Bushido Blade 1 & 2
Parasite Eve 1 and 2
Brave Fencer Masashi
Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Threads of Fate
Secret of Mana - > Legends of Mana (trials if you lived in Japan)
Front Mission 3 (1 and 2 if in japan)
Saga Frontier 1 & 2
Chocobos Dungeon 1 & 2
Ehrgiez
Einhander.
Super Mario RPG
Tobal1
Breath of Fire (snes)
Secret of Evermore
Mystic Quest

Image of north American PSX releases:

For PC rpgs.
Might and magic 1 through 8 (we don't talk about 9),Heroes of Might and Magic 1-5

Ultima 1-8 (we don't talk about 9), underworld

Wizardry 1-8

Gold Box D&D all from 1988 - 1992 (man i miss that fantasy art , the box art really drew me in as a kid and even now. We have nothing like these epic boxes today, shit we don't even get boxes) Some of my all time favorite stretch of games, golden age crpgs.

Infinity engine in 1998 -2002 Baldur's gate - bG2, Torment , Icewind dale:

 

[RickSanchez]

Valve looked unstoppable between Half Life in 1997 and Portal 2 in 2011.

And then they just stopped.

 

[RickSanchez]

1992 Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
1993 Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
1994 System Shock
1998 Thief: The Dark Project
1999 System Shock 2
2000 Thief 2: The Metal Age

An amazing run of games straight into bankruptcy for Looking Glass Studios.

And then Arkane briefly burned bright from 2012 to 2017 to carry on the Looking Glass torch

Dishonored 2012
Dishonored 2 2016
Prey 2017

 

[Gp1]

Bioware:

KOTOR 1 to Mass Effect 3.

Even Before.
Baldur 1 + XP, MDK 2, Baldur 2 + XP, NW1 then KOTOR 1

Blizzard pre WoW was at Nintendo's level of greatness:
Warcraft 2, Diablo, SC + BW, Diablo 2 + Baal, Warcraft 3+FT, WoW