1994 in video games
1994 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country and Sonic & Knuckles.
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Events
- Nintendo proclaims "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".[1]
- Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.
- "Project Reality" is renamed the Nintendo Ultra 64. The console's design is revealed to the public for the first time in spring 1994.
- The second of two congressional hearings on video games takes place on March 5. Topics for discussion include the depiction of violence and sexual content in video games, their influence on children, and the prospect of governmental regulation of video game content.
- April – The Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) is founded in response to the hearings (name changed to the Entertainment Software Association in 2003); the IDSA founds the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in order to self-regulate content in video games in the mold of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system.
- April 28 – Sega and MGM make a venture to create video games, movies, and television programs.
- June 24 – The Computer Game Developers Association is formed by Ernest W. Adams.
- November – Game Zero magazine drops their print format and becomes the first video game news magazine on the web.
- November 10 – William Higinbotham, creator of Tennis for Two (1958), dies at 84.
Notable releases
- January – Mega Man X is released in the US.
- February 2 – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega, Mega Drive/Genesis), introduces Knuckles the Echidna.
- February 23 – Super Street Fighter II Turbo (Arcade), introduces Akuma.
- March 15 – Mega Man 6 is released in the US.
- March 19 – Super Metroid (SNES), distributed on a 24-megabit cartridge. Super Metroid was called the "best game of all time" by Electronic Gaming Monthly in 2002.
- March 25 – Bethesda releases The Elder Scrolls: Arena
- March 27 – Origin releases Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, based both around space simulation gameplay and an interactive movie with big-name actors. It's one of the most expensive games developed, with a budget of US$4 million.
- April 2 – Square Co. releases Final Fantasy VI (then known as Final Fantasy III in North America) for the SNES on April 2 in Japan and October 11 in North America.
- April 3 – Accolade releases Bubsy II on GameBoy, Sega Genesis, and SNES.
- May 3 – Epic MegaGames releases Jazz Jackrabbit, a console-style "animal with attitude" platformer.
- June 2 – Sir-Tech releases turn-based tactics game Jagged Alliance, the first installment of Jagged Alliance series.
- June 14 – Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 94 for the Game Boy. It featured remakes of the first four stages of the original game plus adding 96 puzzle based levels. Mario is much more versatile in this version, as he can backflip, handstand, and spin on wires. It received critical acclaim and became a Game Boy fan favorite and classic.
- July – LucasArts releases TIE Fighter.
- July 5 – Capcom releases Darkstalkers.
- July 15 – Acclaim Entertainment and Mirage releases the fighting game Rise of the Robots.
- August 2 – Shiny Entertainment releases Earthworm Jim.
- August 25 – SNK releases The King of Fighters.
- August 27 – Nintendo releases Mother 2 for the Super Famicom in Japan, which was released almost a year later in North America on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as EarthBound. EarthBound also introduces Ness.
- August 31 – Electronic Arts releases The Need for Speed for the 3DO, which begins the most successful racing game franchise of all time.
- September – MicroProse releases Master of Magic.
- September 9 – The Super NES version of Mortal Kombat 2 is released with all blood and fatalities left intact, the first major release on any Nintendo console at that point to have such content.
- September 22 – Origin Systems releases Looking Glass Studios' System Shock.
- October 10 – id Software releases Doom II and Dave D. Taylor creates a Linux port of the original Doom, becoming the first major game for the new operating system.
- October 17[2] – Sonic & Knuckles is released. It allows a player to connect previous Sonic games to the cartridge, making Knuckles playable in them.
- October 25 – MicroProse releases UFO: Enemy Unknown and the Strategy Game of the Year Master of Orion.
- October 28 – Killer Instinct (Rare), the first arcade machine with an internal hard disk.
- October 28 – Accolade's Bubsy II is released for Sega Genesis and Super NES.
- November 21 – Sega releases the 32X add-on in the US alongside Doom and Star Wars Arcade.
- November 21 – Nintendo releases Rare's Donkey Kong Country (SNES), featuring 3D pre-rendered graphics. It also introduces Diddy Kong and King K. Rool.
- November 23 – Blizzard Entertainment releases the real-time strategy game Warcraft, which spawns a franchise and influences many later games.
- November 23 – Sierra On-Line releases the computer adventure game King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride, the first in the series to use "SVGA" graphics.
- December 9 – Namco releases its first 3D fighting game Tekken to arcades.
- December 10 – Nintendo releases Wario's Woods, the last official game to be released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America before Nintendo would officially discontinue production of the console.
- December 16 – Mega Man X2 is released in Japan.
- December 21 – Bungie releases Marathon, one of the earliest original (non-ported) first-person shooters for the Macintosh.
- December 24 – Heretic is released by id Software. It the first in Raven Software's Heretic/Hexen series and also the first game bundled with DWANGO, one of the earliest online multiplayer services
- Maxis releases SimCity 2000, sequel to the popular SimCity.
- Sega releases the Daytona USA racing game in arcades.
- Sensible Software releases Sensible World of Soccer, regarded as the best Amiga game of all time by British Amiga magazine Amiga Power.
- Namco releases Point Blank in arcades.
Hardware
- Aiwa releases the Aiwa Mega-CD multimedia home console in Japan only.
- Bandai releases the Playdia multimedia home console.
- NEC releases the PC-FX multimedia home console.
- Sega:
- introduces the North American cable TV Sega Channel in cooperation with Time Warner (AOL Time Warner); the subscription service provides Sega Genesis games via cable box to customers
- releases the Sega 32X add-on for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in Europe (November 14), North America (November 21) and Japan (December 3)
- releases the Sega Nomad handheld console in North America, a portable Sega Genesis.
- releases the Sega Saturn home console in Japan on November 22
- SNK releases the Neo Geo CD home console.
PlayStation video game console, first released in Japan
- Sony releases the PlayStation home console in Japan on December 3.
- Nintendo releases the Super Game Boy adapter for the SNES home console.
- Atari Corporation discontinues the Lynx handheld system.
Business
- New companies: Neversoft
- Defunct: Commodore, Tradewest
- September 14 – Video gaming magazine Nintendomagasinet is cancelled after four years. Number 9 of 1994 would have been released on this day, but instead the magazine joins Super Power.
- Apogee establishes the 3D Realms Entertainment division.
- Blizzard Entertainment is renamed from Silicon & Synapse.
- SSI sold to Mindscape
- Alpex Computer Corp. v. Nintendo lawsuit: Alpex sues Nintendo over patent infringements related to the NES. Nintendo loses the case. (In 1996 this ruling was reversed by an appeals court, which determined that no patents had been infringed upon.)[3]
- Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Dragon Pacific Intern
Sales
Highest-selling console and handheld titles according to Babbage's
Babbage's, an American video game retailer, released an Electronic Gaming Monthly-exclusive monthly list of the chain's highest-selling console and handheld titles.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
- Highest-selling 3DO titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Madden Football | EA Sports | Sports (American football) | 7 | #1 |
| Total Eclipse | Crystal Dynamics | Space flight simulation | 7 | #1 |
| Shock Wave | Electronic Arts | Combat flight simulation | 6 | #1 |
| The Horde | Crystal Dynamics | Strategy | 6 | #2 |
| Super Wing Commander | Electronic Arts | Space flight simulation | 5 | #2 |
| Escape from Monster Manor | Electronic Arts | First-person shooter | 5 | #2 |
| Road Rash | Electronic Arts | Racing | 4 | #1 |
| Another World | Interplay Entertainment | Platform | 4 | #3 |
| Way of the Warrior | Universal Interactive Studios | Fighting | 4 | #2 |
| Jurassic Park Interactive | Universal Interactive Studios | Action | 3 | #1 |
- Highest-selling SNES titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lufia & the Fortress of Doom | Taito | Role-playing | 8 | #1 |
| Secret of Mana | Squaresoft | Action role-playing | 8 | #4 |
| NBA Jam | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports (basketball) | 6 | #1 |
| Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball | Nintendo | Sports (baseball) | 5 | #2 |
| Super Metroid | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 4 | #1 |
| Mortal Kombat II | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| Mortal Kombat | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| FIFA International Soccer | EA Sports | Sports (association football) | 3 | #1 |
| Super Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | 3 | #1 |
| Breath of Fire | Capcom | Role-playing | 3 | #2 |
- Highest-selling Sega Genesis titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHL '94 | EA Sports | Sports (ice hockey) | 8 | #4 |
| FIFA International Soccer | EA Sports | Sports (association football) | 7 | #3 |
| World Series Baseball | Sega | Sports (baseball) | 6 | #1 |
| Ms. Pac-Man | Tengen | Maze | 6 | #3 |
| NBA Jam | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports (basketball) | 5 | #1 |
| NBA Showdown | EA Sports | Sports (basketball) | 5 | #3 |
| Mortal Kombat II | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| Bill Walsh College Football '95 | EA Sports | Sports (American football) | 4 | #2 |
| Madden NFL '94 | EA Sports | Sports (American football) | 4 | #3 |
| PGA Tour Golf II | EA Sports | Sports (golf) | 4 | #8 |
- Highest-selling Sega CD titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomcat Alley | Sega | Interactive movie | 7 | #1 |
| Dragon's Lair | ReadySoft Incorporated | Interactive movie | 7 | #1 |
| Star Wars: Rebel Assault | LucasArts | Rail shooter | 6 | #1 |
| Ground Zero: Texas | Sony Imagesoft | Interactive movie | 6 | #1 |
| Lunar: The Silver Star | Game Arts | Role-playing | 6 | #2 |
| Rise of the Dragon | Sierra Entertainment | Graphic adventure | 6 | #4 |
| Lethal Enforcers | Konami | Shooter | 5 | #4 |
| Vay | SIMS Co., Ltd. | Role-playing | 4 | #2 |
| Dark Wizard | Sega | Role-playing | 4 | #2 |
| The Third World War | Micronet co., Ltd. | Strategy | 4 | #3 |
- Highest-selling Game Gear titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Jam | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports (basketball) | 9 | #1 |
| X-Men | Sega | Action | 9 | #1 |
| Sonic Chaos | Sega | Platform | 9 | #1 |
| Disney's Aladdin | Sega | Action | 8 | #1 |
| Mortal Kombat | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 8 | #2 |
| Ecco the Dolphin | Sega | Action-adventure | 8 | #7 |
| Road Rash | U.S. Gold | Racing | 6 | #6 |
| Winter Olympics | U.S. Gold | Sports (Olympics) | 5 | #3 |
| Poker Face Paul's Solitare | Sega | Card game | 5 | #6 |
| Mortal Kombat II | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
Highest-renting console titles according to Blockbuster Video
Blockbuster Video, an American chain of video rental shops, released a GamePro-exclusive monthly list of the chain's highest-renting console titles.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
- Highest-renting NES titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby's Adventure | Nintendo | Platform | 12 | #1 |
| Tetris 2 | Nintendo | Puzzle | 12 | #2 |
| The Ren & Stimpy Show: Buckeroo$ | THQ | Action | 11 | #3 |
| Mega Man 6 | Capcom | Platform | 9 | #1 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters | Konami | Fighting | 9 | #2 |
| Jurassic Park | Ocean Software | Action-adventure | 8 | #4 |
| Mario is Missing! | The Software Toolworks | Educational | 8 | #5 |
| WWF King of the Ring | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 8 | #7 |
| Tecmo Super Bowl | Tecmo | Sports (American football) | 7 | #1 |
| Mario's Time Machine | The Software Toolworks | Educational | 7 | #1 |
- Highest-renting SNES titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Jam | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports (basketball) | 6 | #1 |
| Mortal Kombat | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 6 | #1 |
| Disney's Aladdin | Capcom | Platform | 5 | #1 |
| Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball | Nintendo | Sports (baseball) | 5 | #2 |
| Super Metroid | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 5 | #2 |
| ClayFighter | Visual Concepts | Fighting | 5 | #2 |
| Mega Man X | Capcom | Platform | 5 | #5 |
| Mortal Kombat II | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| Super Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| MLBPA Baseball | EA Sports | Sports (baseball) | 4 | #5 |
- Highest-renting Sega Genesis titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 7 | #2 |
| NBA Jam | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports (basketball) | 6 | #1 |
| Eternal Champions | Sega | Fighting | 6 | #1 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Sega | Platform | 5 | #1 |
| World Series Baseball | Sega | Sports (baseball) | 5 | #2 |
| Disney's Aladdin | Virgin Interactive | Platform | 5 | #3 |
| Sonic Spinball | Sega | Pinball | 5 | #1 |
| Street Fighter II: Champion Edition | Capcom | Fighting | 5 | #3 |
| Mortal Kombat II | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
| Super Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | 4 | #1 |
- Highest-renting Sega CD titles of 1994
| Title | Publisher | Genre(s) | # of charting months | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 7 | #1 |
| Star Wars: Rebel Assault | LucasArts | Rail shooter | 7 | #1 |
| Jurassic Park | Sega | Adventure | 7 | #3 |
| Tomcat Alley | Sega | Interactive movie | 6 | #2 |
| Sonic CD | Sega | Platform | 5 | #1 |
| Ground Zero: Texas | Sony Imagesoft | Interactive movie | 5 | #2 |
| Mad Dog McCree | American Laser Games | Interactive movie | 5 | #1 |
| Rise of the Dragon | Sierra Entertainment | Graphic adventure | 5 | #4 |
| Dragon's Lair | ReadySoft Incorporated | Interactive movie | 5 | #4 |
| NHL '94 | EA Sports | Sports (ice hockey) | 4 | #2 |
References
- "Showtime at the Nintendo Booth for the Winter Consumer Electronics Show". Free Library. January 5, 1994. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- "Sonic & Knuckles Release Information for Genesis". GameFAQs. October 17, 1994. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
- "Tidbits...". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 90. Ziff Davis. January 1997. p. 28.
- "EGM Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. March 1994. p. 48.
- "EGM Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. April 1994. p. 52.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. May 1994. p. 46.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. June 1994. p. 48.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. July 1994. p. 48.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. August 1994. p. 42.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. September 1994. p. 44.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. October 1994. p. 48.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. November 1994. p. 52.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. December 1994. p. 52.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. January 1995. p. 52.
- "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. February 1995. p. 42.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. February 1994. p. 188.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. March 1994. p. 188.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. April 1994. p. 178.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. May 1994. p. 170.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. June 1994. p. 188.
- "Blockbuster Video Top 10 Video Game Rentals" (PDF). GamePro. July 1994. p. 170.
- "Blockbuster Video August Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. August 1994. p. 156.
- "Blockbuster Video September Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. September 1994. p. 162.
- "Blockbuster Video October Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. October 1994. p. 179.
- "Blockbuster Video November Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. November 1994. p. 275.
- "Blockbuster Video December Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. December 1994. p. 286.
- "Blockbuster Video January Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. January 1995. p. 212.
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