1999 might be one of the best years of video games on record.
This is the year we got EverQuest(which took Ultima Online's MMO dreams to a new level), oddball risks like UmJammer Lammy, Aliens versus PredatorPC, the celebrated Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in arcades, Gran Turismo 2, Lunar(one of the greatest JRPGs of all time), Ape Escape, the indomitable Counter-Strike, System Shock 2, brawler classic Gauntlet Legends, Crash Team Racing, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Jet Force Gemini, and countless others. On second thought, I'm pretty much ready to crown it right now, even though 2004 and a few other choice years come close.
The reasoning is sound: if we include 9/9/99 in that equation, 1999 really rocks the house. That's the day Final Fantasy VIIIand the Dreamcast came out.