Badlucktroll
Member
I feel that you only needed a SNES or Genesis, not those other ramshackle consoles
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The 1994 console market was crazy
- Thread starter nkarafo
- Start date
AngelMuffin
Member
All about the SNES for me that year with Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, and Final Fantasy III being released that year.
I do remember drooling over the PlayStation and bought in on launch day in 1995.
I do remember drooling over the PlayStation and bought in on launch day in 1995.
Fermbiz
Gold Member
In 1994 I kept playing Sega Genesis, drooled over the Sega CD I couldn't get, entered this contest and hoped for the best
I wonder now if these contest were legit? I always wanted to play them lol
Kagoshima_Luke
Gold Member
bentanchorbolt
Banned
I was 11 in 1994. We had a SNES and NES. Good times.
Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
1994 for me was really the year where it all changed, and consoles were rapidly approaching rivalling arcades with enough quality that kids/families purchased consoles to play at home instead of spending coins to play.
You cannot mention 1994 gaming and not list arcade gaming along with consoles; games like SFII Turbo, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, NBA Jam tournament edition, Raiden II, Killer Instinct was the first arcade game with a HDD, Tekken and more all hit peak performance in 1994.
Neo Geo was the only one I didn't own, wanted one though as friends and I were into Street Fighter and NG was pushing King of Fighters, Art of Fighting etc at the time.
You cannot mention 1994 gaming and not list arcade gaming along with consoles; games like SFII Turbo, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, NBA Jam tournament edition, Raiden II, Killer Instinct was the first arcade game with a HDD, Tekken and more all hit peak performance in 1994.
Neo Geo was the only one I didn't own, wanted one though as friends and I were into Street Fighter and NG was pushing King of Fighters, Art of Fighting etc at the time.
RoboFu
One of the green rats
Not so much those last 5 but okay.
The best thing about that time period was the international markets were still split. Pc engine was a fascinating thing to read about in magazines. Was a reason I wanted a turbographix instead of a genesis. Really all the anime games and rpgs that didn’t come over were fascinating to read about.
The best thing about that time period was the international markets were still split. Pc engine was a fascinating thing to read about in magazines. Was a reason I wanted a turbographix instead of a genesis. Really all the anime games and rpgs that didn’t come over were fascinating to read about.
SirTerry-T
Member
GOTY 1994
Ghost of Caelid
Banned
My birth year...alot happened that year in general.
diffusionx
Gold Member
It is really hard to overstate just how good video gaming was in 1994. Everything was just firing on all cylinders on all platforms and it was leading right to a total sea change in terms of 3D. Sonic 3/Knuckles, FF3/6, Super Metroid, the Mortal Kombat 2 and NBA Jam ports, Earthbound, Earthworm Jim, DK94 and DKC, Super Punch Out, CV Bloodlines, Demons Crest, just off the top of my head. I know I am missing a bunch. Not even touching PC because I didn’t own one but that was all great. You would also go to the arcade and oh here is another amazing groundbreaking game that people still talk about today.
Not discussed yet are the 300-400 page magazines we got in October-November, it was just amazing how much stuff was there. Every magazine was super thick. GamePro, GameFan, EGM, EGM2, it was just comical looking back at it. Even though we didn’t have the PSX and Saturn here in the US yet, we certainly were able to read about it and it was all very exciting.
Not discussed yet are the 300-400 page magazines we got in October-November, it was just amazing how much stuff was there. Every magazine was super thick. GamePro, GameFan, EGM, EGM2, it was just comical looking back at it. Even though we didn’t have the PSX and Saturn here in the US yet, we certainly were able to read about it and it was all very exciting.
I used to dream about this ad lol.In 1994 I kept playing Sega Genesis, drooled over the Sega CD I couldn't get, entered this contest and hoped for the best
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NecrosaroIII
Ultimate DQ Fan
Nobody owned most of those systems. The only systems people cared about were the SNES vs Genesis, which as you can imagine was heated. A lot of kids had gameboys. I don't think I knew anyone that had a Gamegear, but people talked about it in a sort of "yeah, it sounds kinda cool" sort of way.
I think my Gameboy was my most played console back then. We had an NES, SNES and Genesis. But when my parents came home from work, they got the TV (it wasn't like now where every room had a TV). And even then, we only really got new games at Christmas.
My parents DID buy a 3DO back in the day. It was probably 2 years after its launch. It was being discounted like 90% at Babbage's. Rather than taking that as a redflag, they went full send. Bought like a shit load of (mostly shitty) games. Only good one was Gex. I remember they invited their friends over when we got it and tried to impress them. No one cared though. Both the PSX and N64 were out at that point.
For me the best gaming years were 1999-2001. Not because of new releases (which this was a good time for those too. I just barely got to play them because again, only got games at Christmas). But that's when I discovered emulation. NES games were easier to download because they'd only take a few minutes. SNES games, I'd start the download before school and then come home and play it. That is how I got to discover tons of great games like FFVI, Chrono Trigger, DKC 3, and Terranigma, not mention the Ganbare Goemon games.
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Eddie-Griffin
Banned
Text broke so trying again.
Lynx wasn't dead.
Also, in 1996 you had 3DO, Jaguar, SNES, Genesis, Gameboy, Game Gear, Nomad, CD-i, VIS, ver3 with onlin support, The pippin, the Neo-Geo & Neo-Geo CD, PSX, Saturn, CD32, N64, R-zone still kicking, Virtual Boy, game.com, and Pico.
Including international you also had Nec-PSFX, The FM towns Marty (on it's last legs), Wonderswan, Playdia, Loopy, and probably other I'm missing.
All that's not even including the add-ons, which adds 4 more. Several were new comers. 1996 was the real crazy year, though 1994 is up there.
We will never see such competition again. Sad that once one of the current big 3 go it'll also be when we transfer to cloud streaming with just a plastic empty box for drm on the table. If there's any hardware.
it just costs too much to enter the industry now with new hardware.
Lynx wasn't dead.
Also, in 1996 you had 3DO, Jaguar, SNES, Genesis, Gameboy, Game Gear, Nomad, CD-i, VIS, ver3 with onlin support, The pippin, the Neo-Geo & Neo-Geo CD, PSX, Saturn, CD32, N64, R-zone still kicking, Virtual Boy, game.com, and Pico.
Including international you also had Nec-PSFX, The FM towns Marty (on it's last legs), Wonderswan, Playdia, Loopy, and probably other I'm missing.
All that's not even including the add-ons, which adds 4 more. Several were new comers. 1996 was the real crazy year, though 1994 is up there.
We will never see such competition again. Sad that once one of the current big 3 go it'll also be when we transfer to cloud streaming with just a plastic empty box for drm on the table. If there's any hardware.
it just costs too much to enter the industry now with new hardware.
There were so many platforms that mags which had the ambition to cover everything were forced to switch from a per platform list on the cover to a per brand list (many of which globbed up multiple platforms: old gen TV consoles, new gen TV consoles, multiple manufactures for the same console brand like in the case of the 3DO, handheld consoles, tabletop console like the Virtual Boy, computers, arcades).
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Griffon
Member
To be frank? Everybody knew to avoid the bad consoles (3do, CDI, jaguar, sega addons, etc.). Either sticking with the 16bits for a few more years or buying a Playstation early on.
The brand power of Sony was fucking huge at that time. And the PSX was clearly the best of the new consoles. It never was a question.
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Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
And PC's were becoming more affordable and the advent of CD games like Myst, 7th Guest...etc.....
YeulEmeralda
Linux User
- Philips CDi.
As I'm from the Netherlands I saw one these things in the wild at a public library at the time.
As I'm from the Netherlands I saw one these things in the wild at a public library at the time.
Alex Anderson
Member
I got WWF Raw SNES for getting my wisdom teeth taken out. Many boring nights were spent playing this and listening to the theme music before my family got a satellite dish.
Tecmo Super Bowl NES and Baseball Stars NES were still the best sports games on the market so I had both systems plugged in. Piggybacking RF switches!
Tecmo Super Bowl NES and Baseball Stars NES were still the best sports games on the market so I had both systems plugged in. Piggybacking RF switches!
cobaltorange
Neo Member
I was 2. That's how I managed during the onslaught.
Strider Highwind
Banned
I was 8 years old and grew up here in America...We had the SNES and Genesis/32x....I remember my father bought a Neo Geo(He was a gamer then, still is in his 60s) and like 2 games for it and used to say it was the biggest waste of money he'd ever spent...The few people I've talked to who had one said the same but online there are lots of people who loved it
I love the games they make(SNK) thats for sure
Edit: Oh yeah me and my brother had gameboys lol
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LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Software Etc, Babbages, Electronics Boutique were all go to places as a young man.
Also miss the old mags like Gamers Republic, PSM, OPM, and 90's EGM.
Also miss the old mags like Gamers Republic, PSM, OPM, and 90's EGM.
FF:Enhanced_Reality
Member
This is why if the ABK deal went down in this generation it wouldn't be as much as issue. The market was incredibly healthy. Different world completely in just under 30 years. Today the vast majority of developers and publishers at that time are now gone. All the reason why it's a bigger concern for me than people think. Now you've got three consoles and a limited amount of major publishers left.
apple_of_enlightenment
Member
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
EB's came to my area around that time. We never had those other US chains.
It's amazing how customer friendly EB was back in the 90s when they were new:
- Price matching policy (I did it myself). They'd price match anything in print. They even matched some PC game prices I'd get from those ink stained computer newspapers we'd get for free during the 90s and early 2000s. Some obscure PC store would have ads for games with low prices. Bring that ad is and they'd match even if the price was low. EB would have it for $50, the PC paper $35 and no problem. $35 done deal
- Return a game after I think 10 days
- Low prices. At the time, Walmarts were new here and most gaming stuff came from TRU, all kinds of small game shops, Compucentre and department stores like Zellers or Consumer Distributing. EB comes out of nowhere with stores popping up everywhere and they had the lowest price along with Walmart. All those other electronics stores were a rip off by $10
- Clerks didn't nag you trying to upsell you on disc guarantees, pre-orders, magazine subscriptions and whatever other junk they tried to sell you at the counter. All you did was walk around, buy the game at the counter and leave. And workers didn't go ape shit being clones of Radio Shack where the second you step 5 ft in the door everyone vulture eyes you talking to you. I havent even walked to an aisle yet and already got people on my ass as if they are trying to sell me a bedroom set at a furniture store
Amazing how things changed so fast in 2000s. Aside from still annoying clerks, everything else did a 180, where I think used games are now only -10% off from a new copy.
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GOTY 1994
Once I finish Shining Force CD, Snatcher is next on my list. I hope it lives up to the years of hype!
Mr Hyde
Member
I remember saving up for a Super Nintendo at this time, thinking it would compliment my Mega Drive, but my sister's boyfriend at the time convinced me to buy a Sony PlayStation instead, arguing that it was the next big thing along with the Saturn. So I ditched the SNES, sold my Mega Drive and bought a Playstation. I fell instantly in love and been in the Playstation camp ever since, amassing quite the collection of games. I did support Sega too until their hardware exit, buying both a Saturn and a Dreamcast later on when I was older and had more money, but I will always remember my very first Playstation console. It was a great year for me.
RAIDEN1
Member
Competition was A LOT better and wider than now nearly 30 years on! (Unbelievable) ......you had 3DO finding their feet and banking on M2 to take them forward come 1996....Ultra 64 was still an unknown quantity.....Sega had a new competitor who they underestimated because they thought the Jaguar from Atari was the bigger threat to their dominance....
Dr. Suchong
Member
Also you had this mess.
A total cluster fuck of badly written, hideously laid out trash.
Trunx81
Member
Come on, it wasn’t that bad. At least it played Dragons Trap!Sega Game Gear owner here.
AREYOUOKAY?
Member
Considering they vanished and tried the same exact thing again a few years later but with a different name of course not.
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Mibu no ookami
Demoted Member® Pro™
As a kid, I got consoles much later than a did as an adult or young adult.
I probably got the NES in 88 or 89.
The Game Gear is probably the first system I got relatively early (1991)
And then I got a SNES in 1993 or 1994 but played it through 1998, which is also the year that I got the PS1.
Getting a SNES in 93/94 meant really focusing on backlog titles to a degree. I didn't get into PC gaming until like 1997.
The market is definitely simpler, but that helps when you have your own income. I remember getting a PS2 in late 2000 or early 2001. PS3 I don't think I bought until 2009, but that was an outlier. Think I bought PS4 within the first 6 months or so and Ps5 at launch.
I probably got the NES in 88 or 89.
The Game Gear is probably the first system I got relatively early (1991)
And then I got a SNES in 1993 or 1994 but played it through 1998, which is also the year that I got the PS1.
Getting a SNES in 93/94 meant really focusing on backlog titles to a degree. I didn't get into PC gaming until like 1997.
The market is definitely simpler, but that helps when you have your own income. I remember getting a PS2 in late 2000 or early 2001. PS3 I don't think I bought until 2009, but that was an outlier. Think I bought PS4 within the first 6 months or so and Ps5 at launch.
Mibu no ookami
Demoted Member® Pro™
I had plenty of Game Gear games, though I'd eventually regret getting that over a gameboy (which my brother had). Eventually I'd get his gameboy as a hand me down and I think eventually got a gameboy pocket or gameboy color for a time. This was around the Pokemon and Zelda DX age, so this would have been 98/99. but yeah Gameboy always had better games than Game Gear and it wasn't close.
Sega Game Gear owner here.
Facts
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Mibu no ookami
Demoted Member® Pro™
Electronics Boutique totally screwed me out of buying Castlevania Symphony of the Night. The game came out in like 97, and they mislabeled the game. I had convinced my dad to buy it, but at the register, it was significantly more expensive. I wouldn't end up owning the game until like 2000.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Great points. Something you had to be there at those times to understand. The modern kid/teen today wouldn't know that much unless that environment is created for them.
I remember returning games a few times over (I'm sure to the chagrin of the clerk) but the policy was super friendly and I always took care of my games so they barely look even used.
And the customer service, great notation. It is what you said it is. You didn't constantly get nagged or upsold and they almost understood what the consumer wanted so there wasn't a need to sell like today. You went in there doing your homework, reading magazines, and making educated assessed decisions.
I could go on about that feeling because I see how it is for a kid today. I'd take that upbringing over all the technology today (which I've embraced). Not having everything growing up (that we have now) just makes you appreciate that more.
People actually read more where now it's consumed like a concentrated drink that isn't natural.
Deerock71
Member
The biggest issue I had with it was it's terrible, terrible, oh so terrible version of NBA Jam. That and I couldn't through one playthrough of NBA Jam without needing to change batteries (only SLIGHTLY exaggerating).
VAVA Mk2
Member
So many fun finds at the KB Toys clearance bins around that time...
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Those days had great trade in dollars.... at independents! I had that game for $60. Sold it back to the same indie store for $40. The original version too, not the greatest hits. Who knew that game would be worth so much more decades later.
VeganElduderino
Member
Yep! And i still have most of my old magz! I was happy as fuck when my parents gave me extra money for these magazines!
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Game mags were great back then. For those of you who never read PC game mags they were awesome too. I bought video game mags. My bro bought PC mags.
Video game mags were more focused on images. Editorial was pretty shit. PC mags often had hit and miss picture quality (until PC Gamer came around which had quality production values), but the editorial was so much more. WAY MORE text and detail. Both kinds of mags could have lots of ads, but some of those old Computer Gaming World mags could be 300-400 pages. The PC mags were great because it all focused on PC, not divvyed up into different console/handheld/arcade/tips and tricks sections where half the game mag you probably didn't even care about.
I also found PC game mags must better in being critical of games with low score. Video game mags seemed to skew to higher scores even though the games could be total junk.
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VeganElduderino
Member
That's why i loved Gamefan for pics and Next generation magazine for more tech stuff and txts!