The Major 2017 Game Anniversaries

It has been an exciting time for gaming anniversaries in 2016, with the Cubed3 team celebrating the birthdays of a wide range of famous franchises and consoles throughout the course of the year, presenting reviews, retrospectives, interviews and lists of our favourite games, soundtracks, bosses and more.

2017 is looking to one-up that, though, with some key franchises and systems that might make some of you realise just how old you are! With the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 turning 35, those retro memories are sure to come flooding back—and that goes extra for fans of the Magnavox Odyssey, which turns a whopping 45, along with classic title Pong!

Some of the older folks among us may have a fond recollection of the likes of Contra, Metal Gear, Double Dragon, After Burner, Street Fighter, R-Type, Mega Man and Phantasy Star, which all celebrate 30th milestones, but perhaps one of the most popular ones on the list is Final Fantasy, also turning 30 in December (stay tuned for Cubed3's anniversary features for this one throughout 2017). Looking into the 20-year mark, the latter series' Final Fantasy VII hits the big two-oh in January, as Fallout, Grand Theft Auto, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Age of Empires and Gran Turismo follow in its footsteps.

Some of the big 15-year-old names include Metroid Prime, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Kingdom Hearts, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, TimeSplitters 2 and Ratchet & Clank, whilst the decade-old franchises consist of the likes of Mass Effect, BioShock, The Witcher, Professor Layton, Etrian Odyssey, Odin Sphere, The World Ends with You, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Uncharted.

Feeling old yet? Get the lowdown on the highlights of 2017's upcoming gaming anniversaries below, and be sure to look forward to Cubed3's coverage of certain franchises next year, including Final Fantasy, Mega Man and plenty of retro classics.