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1994 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Metroid , Donkey Kong Country , Final Fantasy VI , Sonic 3 & Knuckles , Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Virtua Fighter 2 and Doom II , along with new titles such as Daytona USA , Ace Driver , Alpine Racer and Tekken .
The year's best-selling video game console was the Game Boy, while the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis remained the best-selling home console. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Super Street Fighter II X (Super Street Fighter II Turbo) and Virtua Fighter in Japan, and Daytona USA and Mortal Kombat II in the United States, while the year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Donkey Kong Country.
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1994.
The following video game releases in 1994 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40. [12]
Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final Fantasy VI | Super Famicom | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 37 |
Ridge Racer | PlayStation | Namco | Namco | Racing | 37 |
Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem) | Super Famicom | Intelligent Systems | Nintendo | SRPG | 36 |
Virtua Fighter | Sega Saturn | Sega AM2 | Sega | Fighting | 36 |
The best-selling arcade printed circuit board (PCB) worldwide in 1994 was SNK's Neo Geo MVS system. [13]
The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1994 in Japan.
Rank | Gamest [9] | Game Machine [14] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title | Manufacturer | Title | Type | Points | |
1 | Super Street Fighter II X: Grand Master Challenge | Capcom | Virtua Fighter | PCB / Deluxe | 5857 |
2 | Virtua Fighter | Sega | Super Street Fighter II / X | PCB | 5003 |
3 | Garō Densetsu Special (Fatal Fury Special) | SNK | Puyo Puyo | PCB | 3466 |
4 | Vampire: The Night Warriors (Darkstalkers) | Capcom | Ridge Racer | Deluxe | 3265 |
5 | The King of Fighters '94 | SNK | Super Real Mahjong PIV | PCB | 2909 |
6 | Super Street Fighter II | Capcom | Shanghai III | PCB | 2794 |
7 | Gokujo Parodius | Konami | Raiden II | PCB | 2718 |
8 | Ridge Racer | Namco | Lethal Enforcers | Dedicated | 2713 |
9 | Daytona USA | Sega | Tetris (Sega) | PCB | 2686 |
10 | Puyo Puyo | Compile | OutRunners | 2P cabinet | 2676 |
In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the highest-grossing games of each month in 1994.
Month | Dedicated arcade cabinet | Printed circuit board (PCB) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
February | Ridge Racer | [15] [16] | |
March | Ridge Racer | Super Street Fighter II Turbo | [17] |
April | [18] | ||
May | Daytona USA | [19] | |
June | [20] | ||
July | Daytona USA | [21] | |
August | [22] | ||
September | [23] | ||
October | Daytona USA | Gunbird | [24] |
Virtua Fighter by Sega AM2 was also one of the UK's most popular coin-ops of the year. [25]
In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1994.
Rank | Play Meter | AAMA [26] [27] | AMOA [28] [29] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title | Award | Dedicated arcade cabinet | Arcade conversion kit | ||
1 | Daytona USA , Mortal Kombat II [30] | Daytona USA (Twin) Cruis'n USA , Killer Instinct , Mortal Kombat II , Neo Geo MVS | Diamond | Mortal Kombat II | |
2 | Lethal Enforcers , Mortal Kombat , NBA Jam , NBA Jam: Tournament Edition , Virtua Fighter | NBA Jam: Tournament Edition , Raiden II , Super Street Fighter II , Samurai Shodown | |||
3 | Unknown | ||||
4 | |||||
5 | |||||
6 | Unknown | NBA Jam: Tournament Edition | Platinum | — | |
7 | Unknown | Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors , Raiden II , Revolution X | Gold | — | |
8 | |||||
9 | |||||
10 | Unknown | Alien vs. Predator , Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom , Super Street Fighter II Turbo | Silver | ||
11 | |||||
12 |
Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Sales | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | USA | Europe | Elsewhere | Worldwide | |||||
1 | Nintendo | Game Boy | Handheld | 8-bit | 1,140,000 [31] | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 7,500,000+ [32] |
2 | Sega | Mega Drive / Genesis | Home | 16-bit | 500,000 [33] | 4,000,000+ [34] | 1,540,000 [33] | 1,000,000 [33] | 7,040,000+ |
3 | Nintendo | Super NES | Home | 16-bit | 2,200,000 [33] | 2,058,000 [35] | 1,060,000 [33] | 900,000 [33] | 6,218,000 |
4 | Sega | Sega CD / Mega-CD | Home | 16-bit | 150,000 [33] | 550,000 [33] | 205,000 [33] | — | 905,000 [33] |
5 | Sega | Game Gear | Handheld | 8-bit | 350,000 [31] | 500,000+ [34] | Unknown | Unknown | 850,000+ |
6 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | 840,000 [31] | — | — | — | 840,000 |
7 | Sega | 32X | Home | 32-bit | 270,000 [36] | 500,000 [34] | 65,000 [33] | — | 835,000 |
8 | Goldstar, Panasonic, Sanyo | 3DO | Home | 32-bit | 450,000 [31] | 160,000 [33] | 15,000 [33] | 5,000+ [33] | 630,000+ |
9 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 600,000 [31] | — | — | — | 600,000 |
10 | Nintendo | NES / Famicom | Home | 8-bit | 280,000 [31] | 268,000 [35] | Unknown | Unknown | 548,000+ |
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) worldwide in 1994.
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan [37] | USA [38] | Worldwide | |||
1 | Donkey Kong Country (Super Donkey Kong) | Super NES | 956,000 | 2,057,006 | 6,000,000 [39] |
2 | Street Fighter II | Multi-platform | 941,000+ | 989,178+ [a] | 3,709,090+ [b] |
3 | Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III) | Super NES | 2,550,000+ [44] | 275,952 | 2,825,952+ |
4 | Mortal Kombat II | Multi-platform | Unknown | 1,929,494+ | 2,500,000+ [45] |
5 | NBA Jam | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Unknown | 2,313,526 | 2,313,526+ |
6 | Sonic 3 & Knuckles | Mega Drive/Genesis | Unknown | 1,473,730 | 1,473,730+ |
7 | Madden NFL 95 | Sega Genesis, Super NES | — | 811,568 | 811,568+ |
8 | Super Metroid | Super NES | 531,000 | 256,262+ [46] | 787,262+ |
9 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Sega Genesis, Super NES | — | 731,910 | 731,910+ |
10 | J.League Excite Stage '94 (Capcom's Soccer Shootout) | Super Famicom | 714,000 | Unknown | 714,000+ |
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1994.
Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Final Fantasy VI | Super Famicom | Squaresoft | RPG | 2,550,000+ | [44] |
2 | Super Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country) | Super Famicom | Nintendo | Platformer | 956,000 | [37] |
3 | Super Street Fighter II | Super Famicom | Capcom | Fighting | 941,000 | |
4 | J.League Excite Stage '94 (Capcom's Soccer Shootout) | Super Famicom | Epoch Co. | Sports | 714,000 | |
5 | Super Bomberman 2 | Super Famicom | Hudson Soft | Maze | 713,000 | |
6 | Super Momotarō Dentetsu III | Super Famicom | Hudson Soft | Simulation | 610,000 | |
7 | Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3 | Super Famicom | Bandai | Fighting | 595,000 | |
8 | Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem) | Super Famicom | Nintendo | Tactical RPG | 563,000 | |
9 | Super Metroid | Super Famicom | Nintendo | Metroidvania | 531,000 | |
10 | Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū (EarthBound) | Super Famicom | Nintendo | RPG | 518,000 |
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1994. [47]
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Genre | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | NBA Jam | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Acclaim Entertainment | Sports | 2,313,526 | [38] |
2 | Donkey Kong Country | Super NES | Nintendo | Platformer | 2,057,006 | |
3 | Mortal Kombat II | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Acclaim Entertainment | Fighting | 1,929,494 | |
4 | Sonic 3 & Knuckles | Sega Genesis | Sega | Platformer | 1,473,730 | [38] |
5 | Street Fighter II | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Capcom | Fighting | 989,178+ | [a] |
6 | Madden NFL 95 | Sega Genesis, Super NES | EA Sports | Sports | 811,568 | [38] |
7 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Sega, Bandai | Action | 731,910 | |
8 | The Lion King | Sega Genesis, Super NES | Virgin Interactive | Platformer | 619,399 | |
9 | NBA Live 95 | Sega Genesis, Super NES | EA Sports | Sports | 542,758 | |
10 | Disney's Aladdin | Super NES | Capcom | Platformer | 421,996+ | [47] [38] |
HMV, a British entertainment retailer, released a monthly list of the chain's highest-selling home video game titles. The following titles topped the monthly all-formats charts, as reported by Computer and Video Games .
Month | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Genre | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | Sensible Soccer | Mega Drive | Sony | Sports (football) | [48] |
February | SimCity 2000 | PC, Mac | Mindscape | City-building | [49] |
March | NBA Jam | Mega Drive, SNES, GG | Acclaim | Sports (basketball) | [50] |
April | Doom | PC | Id Software | FPS | [51] |
May | World Cup Striker | SNES | U.S. Gold | Sports (football) | [52] |
June | World Cup USA '94 | Mega Drive, SNES, GG | U.S. Gold | Sports (football) | [53] |
July | Star Wars: TIE Fighter | PC | Virgin Interactive | Space combat | [54] |
August | Super Street Fighter II | Mega Drive | Sega | Fighting | [55] |
September | Mortal Kombat II | SNES, SMD, SMS, GG, GB | Acclaim | Fighting | [56] |
October | Doom II | PC | Virgin Interactive | FPS | [57] |
November | FIFA Soccer 95 | Mega Drive | EA Sports | Sports (football) | [58] |
December | [59] |
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Release | Title | System | Developer/Publisher | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | SMD | Sega | Third installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Introduces Knuckles the Echidna. |
March | X-COM: UFO Defense | DOS | Mythos Games/MicroProse | |
March 19 | Super Metroid | SNES | Nintendo | Third in the Metroid series; distributed on a 24-megabit cartridge. Noted as the "best game of all time" by Electronic Gaming Monthly in 2002. |
March 25 | The Elder Scrolls: Arena | DOS | Bethesda | Open-world action role-playing game, and the first game in the Elder Scrolls series |
April 2 | Final Fantasy VI | SNES | Square Co. | Sixth title in the Final Fantasy series. Released on October 11 in the US. |
June 14 | Donkey Kong 94 | GB | Nintendo | Remake of the first four stages of the original game, adding 96 puzzle based levels and new mechanics |
July | TIE Fighter | DOS | LucasArts | |
August 2 | Earthworm Jim | SNES, SMD | Shiny Entertainment | |
August 25 | The King of Fighters '94 | Neo | SNK | First title in the King of Fighters series |
August 27 | EarthBound | SNES | Nintendo | The only title in the series to be localized until Mother was released in the United States as EarthBound Beginnings in 2015. Also introduces Ness. |
September | Master of Magic | DOS | MicroProse | |
September 9 | Mortal Kombat II | SNES | Sculptured Software/Acclaim Entertainment | 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 | System Shock | DOS | Looking Glass Studios/Origin Systems | |
October 10 | Doom II | DOS | id Software | Sequel to the original first-person shooter DOOM. |
Doom | Lin | Dave D. Taylor/id Software | Port of the original game, becoming the first major game for the Linux operating system. | |
October 17 [60] | Sonic & Knuckles | SMD | Sega | The sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, allowing players to play as either Sonic or Knuckles. The cartridge features an adapter that can connect to Sonic 3, allowing the two games to be played consecutively. |
October 28 | Killer Instinct | Arcade | Rare | The first arcade machine with an internal hard disk. |
November 15 | Warcraft: Orcs & Humans | DOS | Blizzard Entertainment | The first game in the Warcraft franchise. Adapted into the 2016 film of the same name. |
November 15 | NFL '95 | Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear | Double Diamond Software Genesis and Blue Sky Software Game gear | Sixth game in the Joe Montana Football/NFL series. |
November 21 | Donkey Kong Country | SNES | Rare/Nintendo | The first in the Donkey Kong Country series. Features 3D pre-rendered graphics. Also introduces Diddy Kong and King K. Rool. |
November 23 | King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride | DOS | Sierra On-Line | First in the series to use SVGA graphics. |
December [61] | The Need for Speed | 3DO | Electronic Arts | Launched one of the most successful racing game franchises of all time. |
December | Magic Carpet | DOS, PS1, Sega Saturn | Bullfrog Productions | Action video game developed by Bullfrog Productions, a title deemed innovative and visually impressive at the time of its release, which features 3D real-time visuals. |
December | Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | DOS | Origin | Space combat simulator game that adds interactive movie elements with big-name actors. One of the most expensive games developed for the time, costing about $4 million to produce. [62] |
December 9 | Tekken | Arcade | Namco | Namco's first 3D fighting game, spawning the Tekken franchise. |
December 10 | Wario's Woods | NES | Nintendo | The last official game to be released on the NES in North America before Nintendo would officially discontinue production of the console. |
December 16 | King's Field | PS1 | FromSoftware | Released in Japan only, first in the King's Field series and the first 3D action RPG to be developed for a home console. Considered to be the predecessor of the Dark Souls series. Introduced the Moonlight Sword. |
December 17 | Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium | SMD | Sega | |
December 21 | Marathon | Mac | Bungie | One of the earliest original (non-ported) first-person shooters for the Mac computer. |
December 27 | Heretic | DOS, Mac | Raven Software/id Software | First in the Heretic/Hexen series and also the first game bundled with DWANGO, one of the earliest online multiplayer services |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (December 2024) |
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A killer application is any software that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as its host computer hardware, video game console, software platform, or operating system. Consumers would buy the host platform just to access that application, possibly substantially increasing sales of its host platform.
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is a 1991 fighting game produced by Capcom for arcades, and their fourteenth game to use the CP System arcade system board. It is the second installment in the Street Fighter series and the sequel to 1987's Street Fighter. Street Fighter II vastly improved many of the concepts introduced in the first game, including the use of special command-based moves, a combo system, a six-button configuration, and a wider selection of playable characters, each with a unique fighting style.
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Out Run is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and the hydraulic motion simulator deluxe arcade cabinet. The goal is to avoid traffic and reach one of five destinations before time runs out.
The fifth generation era refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993, to March 23, 2006. The best-selling home console was the Sony PlayStation, followed by the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn. The PlayStation also had a redesigned version, the PSone, which was launched on July 7, 2000.
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is a 1993 competitive fighting game produced by Capcom and originally released as an arcade game. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (1992). It refines and balances the existing character roster from the previous versions, and introduces four new characters, including Cammy and Dee Jay. It is the first game on Capcom's CP System II hardware, with more sophisticated graphics and audio over the original CP System hardware used in previous versions of Street Fighter II.
1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Quake II, Mega Man Legends, Riven, Tomb Raider II, Dark Rift, Tekken 3 and Virtua Striker 2, along with new titles such as Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Gran Turismo, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto and Fallout.
1996 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario 64, Duke Nukem 3D, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Super Mario RPG, King's Field III, Virtua Fighter 3, along with new titles such as Blazing Heroes, NiGHTS into Dreams..., Crash Bandicoot, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Soul Edge, Quake and Tomb Raider.
1995 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest VI, Mega Man 7, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and Tekken 2, along with new titles such as Mario's Picross, Battle Arena Toshinden, Chrono Trigger, Rayman, Twisted Metal, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and Jumping Flash!
1993 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, Mortal Kombat II, Secret of Mana, and Super Street Fighter II, alongside new titles such as Star Fox, FIFA International Soccer, Doom, Gunstar Heroes, Myst, Samurai Shodown, Ridge Racer, NBA Jam, Disney's Aladdin, and Virtua Fighter.
1992 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy V, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and Super Mario Kart, along with new titles such as Art of Fighting, Lethal Enforcers, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Racing.
1991 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy IV, Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man 4, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, along with new titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Battletoads, Lemmings, Sunset Riders, Duke Nukem, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, and Streets of Rage. The year's highest-grossing video game worldwide was Capcom's arcade fighting game Street Fighter II. The year's best-selling system was the Game Boy for the second year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video game was Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, which was also the year's top video game rental in the United States.
1990 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Dr. Mario, Dragon Quest IV, Final Fantasy III, Phantasy Star II, and Super Mario World, along with new titles such as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and Magic Sword. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Final Fight in Japan and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the United States. The year's best‑selling system was the Game Boy, while the year's best-selling home video game was Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
1989 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Phantasy Star II, Super Mario Land, Super Monaco GP, along with new titles such as Big Run, Bonk's Adventure, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Strider, Hard Drivin' and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The year also saw the release of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 in North America, and the Game Boy worldwide along with Tetris and Super Mario Land.
1985 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario Bros. and Kung Fu, along with new titles such as Commando, Duck Hunt, Gauntlet, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gradius, Hang-On, Space Harrier, Tetris and The Way of the Exploding Fist. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Hang-On and Karate Champ in the United States, and Commando in the United Kingdom. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for a consecutive year, while the year's best‑selling home video game was Super Mario Bros.
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Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting is a competitive fighting game released by Capcom for arcades in 1992. It is the third arcade version of Street Fighter II, part of the Street Fighter franchise, following Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, and was initially released as an enhancement kit for that game. Released less than a year after the previous installment, Turbo introduced a faster playing speed and new special moves for certain characters, as well as further refinement to the character balance.
Tekken (鉄拳) is a 1994 fighting game developed and published by Namco. It was originally released on arcades, then ported to the PlayStation home console in 1995. One of the earliest 3D polygon-based games of the genre, Tekken was Namco's answer to Virtua Fighter and was designed by Seiichi Ishii, who himself was also Virtua Fighter's designer when he worked at Sega previously. The game was developed on the purpose-built low-cost System 11 board, based on PlayStation hardware.
In the hand-held games market, the company launched Game Boy, which currently leads the field with sales surpassing 7.5 million units.
Capcom sold 6.5 million copies of the game for the Nintendo machine in the fiscal year that ended in March 1993, and an additional 5.4 million for the Nintendo and Sega machines combined in the year that ended last March.
As for video-game software, accumulated sales of Capcom Co.'s Street Fighter II series reached 10 million units in 1993, compared with 15 million units of Enix Inc.'s Dragon Quest series and 100 million units of Nintendo's Super Mario series.
Source: The NPD TRSTS Video Game Tracking Service, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, NY; ranked by units sold