Ok, I get that Bob's take on the 90's is a personal one. But being about the same age as him and living in a different country (ex-comunist) I'm quite amused by just how different our opinions are. Here's why:
- PC gaming: the 90's was the fastest decade in terms of technology speed of change. We went through computers at the rate of about one every 2 years. Games were pushing the limits with almost every title. Literally nothing new came out since then. And being a flight sim fan, you can bet your ass I really miss Microprose and Looking Glass. I'm not saying that that anyone should have the stomach to play the old ones, or that we don't get good games now... but none are as revolutionary as the old ones were.
- Music: yes the 90's lost to the 60's and 70's, but they downright won against the 80's and 2000'. Sure, music is a personal thing, but my bet is that anyone who hates today's music is a big fan of some band that either formed in the 90's, or had their best albums then. My pick would be Radiohead, but you're free to choose Queen's Innuendo album too
- Movies: although none of the good ones were about the 90's, who the heck cares? The later years of the decade were a bloody joy. Anyone here remembers Fight Club? How about Goodfellas? Thin Red Line? Schindler's List? Silence of the Lambs? Larry Flint? The list goes on and on and on... Face it guys, this was the time before the "CG in every shot" of today. They were just BETTER!
- Anime: Yeah, you've heard me. Check what titles Disney came up with in the 90's. An eye opener, isn't it? Remember Cartoon Network? The good old years when they mixed the new gems like Dexter and Johnny Bravo with the old classics? Back in Japan tho... count for yourself the awesome series back then. Let me help: Evangelion, Trigun, Beebop, Kenshin (the OVA we all love was in 1999). How about the anime movies? GITS? Mononoke? And although not anime... think about Kitano's movies of the era.
- Sports: not saying that the old athletes were in any way better. But I'll give the 90's my vote because Ayrton Senna was still alive in that decade. Any Arsenal fan here? Remember the team before Henry Thierry came? How about tennis? Pete Mothafocking Sampras (was not actually a fan)? Sure this is pure melancholy, but you can't say sports were bad in any way.
- NASA: in that decade we didn't loose any shuttle. Nuf' said. And take a guess when the Large Hadron Collider was funded and started. Hint: 1998.
- Most importantly, Star Trek was still on TV.
The 90's fuckin' RULED! Let's hope this decade brings us at least to half as happy and care-free as we were back then.