It Mattered to You in '98

We'll be sharing our thoughts on the biggest news of '98 tomorrow, but until then, here's what you - our readers - told us you thought was big in the console world this year. So many games, so little time, and already it's 1999. Dreamcast up ahead, Saturn…dead. Now, on to the votes!

1. ZeldaThe biggest story of 1998, according to you, is Zelda 64. Nintendo's release of the game in November broke records for number of copies pre-purchased as well as becoming the fastest-selling video game in history. Not a small feat, by any means. Reader THack told us, "The Legend of Zelda: TOot is the biggest story of 1998. Everything connected to it, including being named game of the century and it's all time sales records." Game of the century? Perhaps leave that to tic-tac-toe, but it's certainly one of the best video games ever made.

2. DreamcastReader Omar Sharar said it best--" I think this year's biggest story would have to be the announcement of the Dreamcast. Not only is it "just another system," it has many new features not seen on consoles that may become standard on future consoles (PSX2, N2000 and Project X). Sega has finally done something right, and I consider them a contender again." The story of the Dreamcast has only just begun -- next fall the game system will be released in the US in what could be (if all goes as planned) the first US system launch with a dozen quality games out of the starting gate. Angel P. summed it up - "I mean the games suck now but wait until it hits the store shelves in the States. By then there will be a variety of good games to pick from."

3. Game Boy ColorWhen Nintendo added color to a system that sold tens of millions of units without it, it had to spawn a revival. That's exactly what Nintendo did this year with the Game Boy Color, giving gamers what they've been asking for since the system's beginning. Now all it needs is a backlit screen…

4. The N64 RAM PakDirector BG told us, "I think the biggest news of the year would have to have been Nintendo deciding to release the 4 MB RAM Pak. This will help Nintendo gain some more players and it makes it seem as if Nintendo is King, and will stay that way (at least in the US) until next fall." The RAM pak has given extra life to a system which without Nintendo's amazing quality of games, would have been dead long ago. The N64's second wind is blowing through now, and in 1999 more quality titles will be one the way - most of which, as you readers have guessed, will use the RAM Pak.

5. Death of the SaturnIt was swift and concise - the Saturn died in '98, and while hardcore fans of the machine stuck it out, begging Sega of America to stay the course, in the end, it was all for the best. "I've been a gamer since the Atari 2600 and I'll probably be one until the day I die. I can just about guarantee that the Saturn will always have a place in my memory (all fond, of course). If there ever was a system that died before its time, this is it," says reader Tony Francis. We couldn't agree more. Even though the system had less than a dozen releases during '98, it had one of the best games on any console for the entire year in Panzer Dragoon Saga. Besides, the party isn't entirely over yet. Majesco Sales is planning on bringing the system back in '99, with re-releases of several older titles.

Other stories you mentioned:- Cancellation of Thrill Kill- Square/EA Teaming Up- Pokemon- Final Fantasy VIII- THQ losing the WCW license to EA

All in all, it was a pretty big news year. Stay tuned for tomorrow, and we'll share our own ranking of how the year went.