This thread revived the Sega/Nintendo Wars. Everyone knows I'm the raging Sega fanboy.
I would have never survived the 90's, because I'm a fan of both. Maybe it's the luxury of growing up in early to mid 2000's.
Player Two Start: An SNES-CD Timeline
- Thread starter RySenkari
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I would have never survived the 90's, because I'm a fan of both. Maybe it's the luxury of growing up in early to mid 2000's.
This thread revived the Sega/Nintendo Wars. Everyone knows I'm the raging Sega fanboy.
I remember when Thande make his own thread(the spiritual predecesor of this one,xd) that was more incredible the first 4 pages,xd.
But that is normal ports come with oportunities and Katana got it.(and Ultra got a fine Half Life port too, sega deserved it too).
Still this timeline is a loved letter all videogames, specially in the 90's.
Yes honey, we know.This thread revived the Sega/Nintendo Wars. Everyone knows I'm the raging Sega fanboy.
This thread revived the Sega/Nintendo Wars. Everyone knows I'm the raging Sega fanboy.
I'm a Sega fanboy too.
Still smarting from the thought of Reggie jumping ship?
Speaking of which, I wonder what his first speech as President of SoA would be. This excerpt from Wikipedia got me thinking.
We need to have him coined the Regginator ITTL as well.
Always good to see a fellow Sega fanboy.
Truth be told, the War never ended. It never got the chance to end, not really. SEGA shot themselves in the back at least twice (the 32X and the surprise early Saturn launch), three times if the rumor about SoJ sabotaging the U.S. version of the SEGA/MEGA CD is true, then they quit. That's not an ending, that's a cliffhanger that we've never gotten the sequel to. That's why it will never be over. #TheSEGAShallRiseAgainThis thread revived the Sega/Nintendo Wars. Everyone knows I'm the raging Sega fanboy.
Yeah, as always say, OTL was ASBish for sega, when Mega-cd flopping was bad, still was a nice idea at the time(PC-engine CD was a mega hit in japan and the reason this TL happen at all too) just....yeah sega botched it(i think was being victim his own sucess, they seems wanted to remplaced megadrive-genesis with mega-cd as megadrive flopped in japan, just genesis mega sucess in usa and sonic delayed that...that explain a lot the friction between sega too) and all faux paus too much to be numbered.
Beign Honest i'm thinking how would be if not that botch and maybe a true three-way race between the big three sans MS(maybe will never enter, maybe yamauchi would did sell if sega is more sucessful that is tl for itself)
Well I don't really like Microsoft, in my perpetually W.I.P. TL they don't get the chance to enter the Console War, because they no longer exist as an independent company.
Bought outright by IBM in 1985.
A Year, And Decade, In Review
“Technology has come so incredibly far in just ten years. We've gone from most households not even having a computer to computers being in nearly every American household, computers capable of displaying beautiful three-dimensional images, computers capable of communicating with other computers all over the world. The 1990s are going to be remembered as the decade of the information revolution, and it's an entirely different world from the one we lived in at the end of the 80s.”
-Bill Nye, in an interview with Anderson Cooper on a December 30, 1999 ABC News broadcast
“The Microsoft Xbox is the most developer-friendly game console ever made. We're going to change the way that people make video games, and the Xbox will be at the forefront of a revolution.”
-Bill Gates, in a January 2000 interview with Wired magazine
“Ten years ago, I was waiting for Super Mario Bros. 3. Look where I'm at now! Look where video games are at now! Look at how pretty the new Resident Evil game is! We've come a long way in terms of video game graphics. And yet... Super Mario Bros. 3 is still the better game. Maybe in the next decade we can work on the gameplay, okay?”
-Brittany Saldita, discussing the 90s on the January 4, 2000 episode of GameTV
“Well, violence in video games has been an issue I've confronted numerous times during my presidency. And it's true, games are getting more violent. But I think the industry is doing a really good job keeping these violent video games out of children's hands. Violence in this country has gone down since the start of the 90s, so I think...I mean, there are a lot of positive games. Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario, they're wholesome characters and kids love them. And Pokemon... I did a speech at an elementary school, and so many kids were playing with these Pokemon things. I have no clue what any of them are, to be honest. I asked Chelsea, but...I think she's too old for them because she didn't know anything either! Um...the violent games, a lot of adults play those. I have interns who play those. I think the companies do a pretty good job of saying which games are for adults and which games are for kids. I don't think it's that much of a problem right now.”
-President Bill Clinton, in a 60 Minutes interview on January 9, 2000
“Majora's Mask is another game that I am quite proud of. I'm very happy with the direction Nintendo's been going and I certainly hope we continue to be successful well into the future.”
-Shigeru Miyamoto
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Top Selling Ultra Nintendo Games Of 1999 (North American sales only, pack-in sales included)
1. Super Mario Dimensions
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Squad Four: Rebellion
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
5. Final Fantasy VIII
6. Doom: Inferno
7. Ultra Mario Kart
8. Ultra Donkey Kong Country
9. Gran Turismo
10. Killer Instinct Ultra
Top Selling Sega Saturn Games Of 1999 (North American sales only, pack-in sales included)
1. Sonic The Hedgehog 5
2. Sonic The Hedgehog 4
3. Soul Calibur
4. Tekken 3
5. Virtua Fighter 3
6. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
7. Zodiac World
8. Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
9. Commander Keen: When Universes Collide
10. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
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*Carson Daly and Owen Wilson are on stage to present the award for the Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year.*
Carson Daly: The Ultra Nintendo is the number one game console in the world right now, and these five games have all sold over a million-
Owen Wilson: *points at a box that's up on stage* Was that box up here when we got here?
Carson Daly: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was.
Owen Wilson: Because I coulda sworn-
Carson Daly: It's cool, it's cool, that box was already there.
Owen Wilson: Okay, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there.
Carson Daly: The nominees for Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year are...
Owen Wilson: *jumps* Geez! That box just moved!
*The box is now right next to the podium*
Carson Daly: Dude, that box was always here. You gotta relax.
Owen Wilson: *is freaking out* There's something under that box!
Carson Daly: The nominees for Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year are...
Doom: Inferno *Doomguy blasts a horde of demons, then is seen running through a crumbling city*
Final Fantasy VIII *Quistis whips an enemy for 863 damage, then the Titan Guardian mech is seen lowering onto the screen*
Half-Life *Gordon Freeman picks up some items*
Metal Gear Solid *Solid Snake comes out of a box from behind a guard and chokes him out*
Squad Four: Rebellion *Shad and Marcus team up to take out a huge King Kong-like giant gorilla*
Carson Daly: And the MTV Video Game Award goes to....
Solid Snake: Metal Gear Solid. *leans into the podium to talk into the microphone, Owen Wilson is lying unconscious next to the upturned box at his feet*
Carson Daly: Wait, you're Solid Snake, how'd you get here?
Solid Snake: Does it matter? I want my award.
Carson Daly: Well, I have to read the card and... well the card says Metal Gear Solid, I guess you won!
*The audience applauds*
Carson Daly: But what's with all the sneaking around and knocking out Owen Wilson? If you were just gonna win anyway, I mean-
Solid Snake: It's a matter of national security. *runs off the stage*
(…)
*Austin Powers (actually played by Mike Myers for the sketch) is sitting in a bar with Brittany Saldita and Lyssa Fielding, who are both playing a video game.*
Austin Powers: You know, we didn't have these games back where I came from. We had to make our own fun.
Lyssa: Oh? Is that right?
Austin: Yeah, come back to my pad and I can show you something way more fun than a video game, baby...
Brittany: I don't think it's more fun than this video game. *she hands Austin a controller* This is World of Color: Millennium and it's the best puzzle game of, well, the millennium.
Austin: Well, the millennium's still pretty young.
Brittany: Oh, just play it!
*The three play the video game, with Austin getting his butt kicked*
Lyssa: Ha! *she lands a massive combo, wiping out Austin's board and even freezing his controls for a few seconds*
Austin: Oh, behave, baby!
*The game ends pretty quickly after that, with Lyssa finishing in first, Brittany in a very close second, and Austin taking dead last*
Lyssa: Sorry we kicked your butt so badly, did you have fun anyway?
Austin: Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've gotten whipped by two foxy ladies! *laughs and winks at the camera* That game was pretty groovy, now you mind taking me up on my offer?
Brittany: I don't see why not. *smiling, the two get up to leave with Austin* And while we're having fun, Tony Hawk and Dave Mirra are gonna present the Babe of the Year award!
Austin: Oooh, smashing!
(…)
*So later on, Austin, Brittany, and Lyssa are seen in Austin's room...playing a game of Clue*
Brittany: Professor Plum did it with the candlestick in the kitchen!
Austin: And Austin did it with Felicity Shagwell in every room in the house, baby! Oh, yeah!
Lyssa: *laughing* Wrong, and VERY wrong.
*There's a knock on the door*
Lyssa: I wonder who that is?
Austin: Oh, I invited this year's Babe of the Year winner up to my room for some private fun! *he opens the door and Lara Croft comes in*
Lara Croft: So this is the famous Austin Powers. *smirks* I was expecting someone a bit more mysterious.
Austin: Well if you want to solve a mystery, take a look under here... *rips open his shirt to reveal his very hairy chest*
Lara: Not bad, I suppose, but I was wondering if you could come along with me on a journey...
Austin: I could come along with you on lots of journeys... *winks at the camera*
Lara: ...right. Anyway, I leave tomorrow morning...
Austin: Well, why don't we stay here tonight, play some more Clue?
Lyssa: Or Twister! *holds up the game which she fished out from under the bed*
Brittany: *nervously* Eheheheh.... *she gets up* I think I'll be leaving now, you three have fun. *she walks to the door*
Austin: Well, it's been nice playing with you!
Brittany: Right. *smiles as he lifts her hand up to his lips and kisses it* Well, good night. *she starts to leave...then stops and grabs Austin, passionately kissing him as the crowd ooohs and cheers* Mmm... *smiling as she leaves*
Austin: Still got my mojo, baby! Yeah, baby, yeah! *closes the door as we see Lara and Lyssa setting up the Twister game*
-from the MTV Video Game Awards, which aired on February 29, 2000
MTV Video Game Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year:
Final Fantasy VIII
Metal Gear Solid
Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Soul Calibur
Squad Four: Rebellion
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year:
Doom: Inferno
Final Fantasy VIII
Half-Life
Metal Gear Solid
Squad Four: Rebellion
Saturn Game Of The Year:
Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
NYPD: Narcotics Squad
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Soul Calibur
Handheld Game Of The Year:
Final Fantasy Soldier
International Superstar Soccer
Pokemon Yellow
Submariner
The Uncanny X-Men
Sports Game Of The Year:
Madden NFL 2000
NFL Blitz 2000
NHL '00
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Racing Game Of The Year:
Beetle Adventure Racing
Crazy Taxi
Ultra Road Rash 2
Ultra Spinout 2
Virtua Racing Reality
RPG Of The Year:
ActRaiser Valkyrie
Final Fantasy VIII
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Pokemon Yellow
Primrose Soldier
Fighting Game Of The Year:
Deathblow II
Hakendo
Marvel vs. Capcom
Raigeki II
Soul Calibur
Shooter Of The Year:
Brigadier
Doom: Inferno
Duke Nukem Forever
Half-Life
Lethal Enforcers: Emergency Situation
Scariest Game Of The Year:
Dino Crisis
Emergency
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil: Operation Stormwind
Silent Hill
Best Soundtrack:
Final Fantasy VIII
Metal Gear Solid
Soul Calibur
Umjammer Lammy
Ultra Donkey Kong Country
New Character Of The Year
Fred Kroenin (NYPD: Narcotics Squad)
Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
Raquel Elizondo (Squad Four: Rebellion)
Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid)
Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)
Villain Of The Year
Captain Chaos (Commander Keen: When Universes Collide)
Kahran Ramsus (Final Fantasy VIII)
Kain (Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver)
Liquid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
Babe Of The Year
Lara Croft (Tomb Raider III)
Meryl Silverburgh (Metal Gear Solid)
Quistis Trepe (Final Fantasy VIII)
Rebecca (Squad Four: Rebellion)
Sarah Klausterman (Emergency)
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Billboard Number One Songs Of 1999:
January 2: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 9: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 16: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 23: “Have You Ever?” by Brandy
January 30: “Have You Ever?” by Brandy
February 6: “...Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears
February 13: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
February 20: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
February 27: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 6: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 13: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 20: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 27: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 3: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 10: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 17: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 24: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
May 1: “Believe” by Cher
May 8: “Believe” by Cher
May 15: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
May 22: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
May 29: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 5: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 12: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 19: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 26: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
July 3: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
July 10: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
July 17: “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny's Child
July 24: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
July 31: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
August 7: “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
August 14: “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
August 21: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
August 28: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 4: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 11: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 18: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 25: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 2: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 9: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 16: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 23: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 30: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 6: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 13: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 20: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
November 27: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 4: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 11: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 18: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 25: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
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Electronic Gaming Monthly Editors' Choice Awards 1999:
Game of the Year: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Metal Gear Solid, Soul Calibur
In one of the most divisive debates we've ever had, Squad Four: Rebellion eked out the narrowest of victories over Metal Gear Solid. In the end, we just found it to be a bit more fun than Solid Snake's stealth adventure, though both games (and our third place choice, Soul Calibur) were worthy of this honor.
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VIII
It was a banner year for the Ultra Nintendo, and though Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VIII made extremely good cases, we couldn't deny Squad Four: Rebellion.
Sega Saturn Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Sonic the Hedgehog 5, Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Soul Calibur was one of the best fighting games we've ever played, and was a real showcase for what the Saturn can do. All three of these games utilized the Ring to its true potential.
Handheld Game Of The Year: Pokemon Yellow
Runners-up: The Uncanny X-Men, Submariner
X-Men might be the best portable superhero game we've ever played, but Pokemon Yellow gave us hours more fun in the exciting world of Pokemon, with some upgrades that make it worth playing.
Best RPG: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, ActRaiser Valkyrie
Final Fantasy VIII was an astonishing feat of storytelling and RPG gameplay. It blew our minds from the opening cutscene, and it really wasn't much of a debate in this category.
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Hakendo, Marvel vs. Capcom
Soul Calibur might just be the best fighting game of all time, and was an easy pick for the best one of the year.
Best Graphics: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid
Half-Life wasn't a completely faithful PC port but was still one of the Ultra Nintendo's most impressive games. It couldn't quite match up to the beautiful environments and realistic character designs of Squad Four: Rebelllion, which brought the world of Lockstar to life like never before.
Best Music: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Metal Gear Solid, Umjammer Lammy
Nobuo Uematsu is a musical genius, and his collaboration with young Yasunori Mitsuda brought a huge variety of musical stylings to the amazing Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack.
Electronic Gaming Monthly Readers' Choice Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Final Fantasy VIII, Squad Four: Rebellion
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Final Fantasy VIII, Squad Four: Rebellion
Sega Saturn Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: NYPD: Narcotics Squad, Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Handheld Game Of The Year: Pokemon Yellow
Runners-up: The Uncanny X-Men, Final Fantasy Soldier
Best RPG: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Primrose Soldier, ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Deathblow II, Hakendo
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Half-Life, Final Fantasy VIII
Best Music: Metal Gear Solid
Runner-up: Final Fantasy VIII, ActRaiser Valkyrie
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Gamespot Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year (Console): Soul Calibur
Game Of The Year (Computer): Junction Point
Game Of The Year (Readers' Choice): Metal Gear Solid
Best Graphics, Artistic (Console): ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Graphics, Technical (Console): Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Original Music: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Sound Effects/Design (Console): Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Story (Console): Final Fantasy VIII
Best Game No One Played: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Most Disappointing Game (Console): Aliens vs. Predator
Best Action/Adventure: Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Driving Game: Wheelman
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Best Puzzle Game: Umjammer Lammy
Best Role-Playing Game: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Shooter: Doom: Inferno
Best Traditional Sports Game: Madden NFL 2000
Best Alternative Sports Game: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Best Ultra Nintendo Game: Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Saturn Game: Soul Calibur
Best Game Boy Color Game: Submariner
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This year brought a supremely impressive lineup of PC games in a huge variety of genres. While many of these games are either already on consoles or will eventually end up on one or more of them, many more will remain exclusive to PC users indefinitely, showing the incredible value in playing games on PC. Here is a brief countdown of our top 10.
#10: Ultima IX: Ascension
Ultima IX had a rocky road to release, but was ultimately a rich tale of virtue and heroism that carried on the series' storyline while incorporating elements from the popular recent console titles.
#9: Pirate Quest
Sony's online tale of swashbuckling and thievery proved quite popular, becoming one of the most widely populated MMOs.
#8: The Longest Journey
This challenging and mature puzzle adventure featured impressive voice acting and a mystery that rewards players who can sniff out all the clues.
#7: Half-Life: Opposing Force
You wanted more Half-Life, and you got it in this thrilling expansion pack that puts you in the shoes of a Marine on a mission.
#6: Roller Coaster Tycoon
This surprisingly addictive theme park simulator let us unleash our creativity, but also held the potential for some hilarious designs.
#5: Zap! Alien Conquest
In another of the year's funniest games, this deep space war game never took itself too seriously but was still a challenging and engrossing sim.
#4: Counter-Strike
The little mod that could has become a worldwide phenomenon and one of the most popular software hacks ever devised. It takes Half-Life's fantastic FPS gameplay and adapts it for a thrilling multiplayer challenge, forcing even Valve to take notice. The game has been announced for an official release sometime later this year.
#3: Heroes Of Might And Magic III
One of the best strategy games we've seen, and a game that continues this series' excellent reputation, Heroes of Might and Magic III depicts massive clashes of armies in a thrilling battle for the fate of a realm.
#2: Homeworld
Sierra's brilliant space sim is a masterpiece of amazing visuals and complex gameplay, delivering one of the best and most complete games we've ever played. The deep storyline brings real meaning to every battle, and you'll find yourself determined to claim victory.
#1: Junction Point
The perfect mix of survival horror, FPS, and RPG gameplay, this title takes you on an Apocalypse Now-like descent into madness onboard a seemingly abandoned spaceship. As a spiritual successor to the classic System Shock, it succeeds on just about every level.
-excerpted from an article in the February 2000 issue of Wired magazine
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And we're finding out more and more about the Katana, Sega's newest game system set to be released this year in Japan and sometime early next year here in the States. It's now been confirmed that the next Commander Keen game will be revealed as a launch game for the Katana, and is likely being positioned as the key launch game for the system, which will be lacking a Sonic game at release (similarly to the Saturn, which didn't get Sonic the Hedgehog 4 until the year after the console launched in North America).
It is rumored that Sega will be working with Sun Microsystems on the Katana's internals, though no official confirmation has been given. The system's graphics will likely be powered by a Real 3D GPU that looks to be significantly more powerful than the Ultra Nintendo's Artemis chip, and all the screenshots and videos we've seen confirm that the Katana's capabilities will significantly outpace the Ultra Nintendo's in every way, from performance to memory. Whether or not the system will be capable of running many of the latest PC hits is yet to be determined, but a version of Half-Life has been confirmed for the console, and an early rumor is that the game may even include a version of Counter-Strike to take advantage of the Katana's online capabilities.
Online looks to be Sega's secret weapon in its ongoing battle with Nintendo. Phantasy Star Online is expected to be pushed heavily and will feature cross-country play, so that players in North America can play alongside Japanese players. Were Counter-Strike to appear on the Katana, it would be another coup for FPS fans, and would strike a blow against the hit Half-Life port on the Ultra Nintendo.
Again, everything at this early stage is speculation. We expect Sega to reveal much more about the Katana at this May's E3 trade show, where it will certainly be the centerpiece of Sega's presentation.
-from Next Generation magazine's Year 2000 preview in the January 2000 issue
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More Katana Details: Commander Keen 12 First Screenshots! (27 posts)
The first screenshots of Commander Keen 12 just showed up in my new EGM. The game looks amazing. I don't know if these are real or just cutscenes but...
You guys, saturn is NOT next gen (8 posts)
saturn was released like 5 years ago. Its graphics lok like crap and even w/the ring nintendo still looks way better, i will b marking all saturn related topics for off topic from now on...
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (170 posts)
Famitsu just had an article about the game and it looks really cool. Graphics seem to be a bit better than Temple of Time and the game looks like it'll play very similarly...
i heard counter-strike is coming to x box (6 posts)
Just a rumor but valve and Microsoft seem to be getting closer and the half-life katana port will have opposing forces while the x box port will have opposing forces AND counter-strike according...
X-Box is going to bankrupt Microsoft. (34 posts)
Remember the Bandai Solaris? Microsoft is facing a huge lawsuit and it's trying to compete with Nintendo and Sega. Nobody thinks Microsoft's new X-Box will actually succeed...
No Final Fantasy IX til next year (5 posts)
An interview with Hiranobu Sakaguchi said that it looks like FF9 will be delayed to next year, the company spent too long working on VIII and IX looks to be even bigger...
New Castlevania game for Ultra looks like teh best ever (19 posts)
U get to hunt like 12 vampires, how sweet is that? And the castle looks way bigger than in Symphony of the Night.
How much do you think the Katana will cost? (106 posts)
Do you think Sega will try to go cheap on it and make it like 200 dollars or will it be 400 like the Saturn was? Or somewhere in between? I think it'll be 349, all that technology...
I sure hope we get that new sailor moon katana game (30 posts)
That new Sailor Moon game coming out for the Katana looks really cool, it's supposed to have all the sailor guardians and villains in it but they said it's only coming in Japan so...
Why buy an X Box when you can just buy a computer? (44 posts)
I mean they're gonna be the same thing, right?
Squad Four Rebellion Discussion Thread (457 posts)
Welcome to the discussion for all things Squad Four: Rebellion! It just came out and it got a Platinum Award from EGM, only their fourth ever! Discuss how awesome the game is and share hints...
NFL 2K1 vs. Nintendo's New Football Game (30 posts)
Sega's new NFL game looks pretty sweet, but Nintendo's working on their own football series like how they have baseball and basketball games. I wonder if they'll get Deion Sanders to...
if u buy a kitana u r seriously dum (174 posts)
i mean come on, nintendo will just com out w/someting way better so ur just wasting ur $$$. i mean i wont tell u wut 2 do but come on
-from posts on GameFAQs.com's Next-Gen Gaming board, taken on January 1, 2000
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Ted Crosley: And once again, we'll be counting down 25 games.
Alex Stansfield: That's right, sit back and watch us as we count down our top 25 games of the year.
Brittany Saldita: This year was maybe the best year ever for video games and we had a hell of a time picking just 25, there were so many worthy games this year but we FINALLY managed to settle on a list.
Steve Horton: And at number 25, we've got Commander Keen: When Universes Collide! The kid hero returned in a game with lots of awesome weapons and annoying little sisters. We laughed until we cried!
Gary Westhouse: At number 24, it's Blast Corps: Ultra Destruction. Smashing stuff to pieces has never been more fun, and this game had plenty of that and plenty of sweet machines for us to do the wrecking.
Ted: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding comes in at #23. Doing sweet tricks and racing down a killer mountain are fun enough, but when you combine that with awesome tunes and one of the strangest casts of characters in video game history, you've got a true classic.
Brittany: Our number 22 was NYPD: Narcotics Squad. This game about two NYPD officers battling a corrupt criminal organization featured one of the best storylines ever, which made up for its somewhat repetitive combat.
Lyssa Fielding: And at number 21, it was Syrielle Soul, a game even Ted found fun this time around! Our favorite characters returned with some new friends as this quirky high school half-spider girl went through all the typical high school problems and did battle against her evil science teacher!
Alex: We had Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver at #20. While it wasn't quite as fun to explore this huge world, the gameplay and plot still had us on the edge of our seats, and it was a real beauty of a game.
Ted: At #19 was the strange but really fun platformer Outfoxed. We traveled through strange lands, rescuing our friends from a real jerk of a hunter, and had lots of hilarious fun in the process.
Steve: All right, #18 was Ultra Donkey Kong Country! Another killer platformer, this fantastic game had us going all over the world, battling evil Kremlings and kicking butt with four Kongs at once! Playing by yourself is fun, but playing with friends is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
Brittany: The epic Konami RPG Primrose Soldier was our #17 game. Beautiful and poignant, it was the tale of a young soldier who had to defy his country to protect a girl who could be the key to saving the world from extinction.
Alex: And in #16, Super Smash Bros. brought all of our favorite Nintendo characters to life and let us force them to beat the hell out of each other. Yes, you heard that right.
Gary: Number 15 was the spooky Silent Hill. This town held a lot of secrets and let us scared to go to sleep at night, the mark of a truly good horror game.
Steve: The awesome Half-Life port for the Ultra Nintendo was our #14 game, it brought Gordon Freeman's terrifying adventure to the home console and proved to be one of the best FPS titles we've ever seen.
Lyssa: And at number 13, ActRaiser Valkyrie took one of the best classic action RPGs and added Norse mythology to make one delicious casserole of role-playing goodness!
Ted: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater did a big 900 right into the number 12 spot on our list. With awesome tricks and super addictive gameplay, it was almost as fun as learning to skateboard for real.
Brittany: We loved Grim Fandango on PC last year and we loved it just as much on the Ultra Nintendo. This challenging mystery comes in at #11 on our list, and those willing to put in the time will be rewarded with one of the best point and click games ever made.
Alex: So that leaves us with our top 10, and when we come back, we'll count 'em all down. Stay tuned!
(…)
Ted: We're back, counting down our top ten games of the year.
Lyssa: Every single one of these games gave us hours of fun and are considered must plays for any gamer looking to have a really good time!
Gary: We'll start with number 10, Emergency. This thrilling horror title was packed with scares and excitement, along with some of the best survival horror gameplay of the year.
Brittany: It was a fast-paced game that constantly had us on the edge of our seats, and even gave us plenty of comic relief between all the scary moments.
Alex: It definitely focused more on action than horror, and that's part of the reason it was such a unique and exciting game.
Lyssa: At number nine we have The Longest Journey, which told the story of April Ryan, who goes on a journey to discover her mysterious past.
Ted: And in the process, discovers more about her world than she ever could've imagined.
Gary: It's an incredible game, full of mystery and wonder and a LOT of angst, but by the end of the story you definitely feel deeply for April and have a deep connection to her.
Steve: Dino Crisis is our number eight game. It's got dinosaurs, and games with dinosaurs tend to be EXTREMELY good.
Ted: Yeah, see the Turok series for a big example of that. Beyond the dinosaurs, Dino Crisis was just a really deep survival horror game.
Brittany: It had several different story paths to explore, all the while leaving you vulnerable to a deadly attack.
Ted: We LOVED Sonic the Hedgehog 5, and it comes in at #7.
Alex: Sonic goes full 3D for the very first time, and his beautiful world was a joy to explore.
Steve: With big bosses and lots of pals to help you out along the way, Sonic 5 was the most epic Sonic the Hedgehog game yet.
Gary: It wasn't as tight of a platforming experience as previous games in the series, but never has a Sonic game featured such diverse and exciting gameplay.
Lyssa: And the voice acting was top notch, even legends like Ernest Borgnine showed up to lend their voices to the game's unique cast.
Alex: F-Zero: Ultracharged was our number 6.
Brittany: This game was damn tough, but we've never seen such a thrilling racer.
Lyssa: Super fast cars racing through amazing futuristic environments, this game definitely gave us our money's worth and then some!
Gary: Working to master this game's tracks is totally worth it, that feeling you get when you cross the finish line of the final course on the hardest difficulty setting is impossible to beat.
Ted: The best Resident Evil game to date might have been released in November. Resident Evil: Code Veronica starts off our top five at #5.
Brittany: Claire Redfield and her friend Abigail Chambers must navigate a terrifying prison while some of the most horrifying monsters ever seen in a video game chase them every step of the way.
Steve: This game was pants-wettingly scary at times, and it never, ever, ever let up!
Alex: Just when you think you're safe, something comes out from the walls and kills you, and that can happen at any time. This game showed no mercy to its beleaguered ladies.
Lyssa: And it featured one of the most rewarding endings of any Resident Evil game yet, if you can make it that far! And now our #4 game features lots of kickin' and punchin'...
Alex: Don't forget slashing with swords. It's Soul Calibur!
Ted: This was easily one of the best fighting games we've played in quite a while. The gorgeous graphics and intuitive play controls were only the tip of the iceberg, this game featured a variety of characters and fighting styles, making it one of the most strategic fighting games ever.
Gary: This game required the Ring and from the moment you boot it up, you can see why. The backgrounds are gorgeous, this game looks nearly arcade perfect.
Brittany: In other years this game might've been #1, and even at #4, it's definitely a worthy pick for Game of the Year.
Ted: And speaking of Game of the Year, we're down to just three games vying for that title. Find out our top pick when we return!
(…)
Ted: Hey guys, we're back with the top three games of the year, and what a year it was. Number three is Final Fantasy VIII, one of the best RPGs ever made. This gorgeous epic featured a cast of characters with plenty of heart and soul, and once they climbed into their giant Guardian mechs, the battles took on a whole new level of epic.
Brittany: Yeah, this game perfectly pulled off giant mech combat in a brilliant way. While you couldn't use your mechs every battle because they had to eventually be refueled, you could climb aboard them when you needed to and use up your remaining fuel to unleash a devastating attack.
Alex: The deep plotline might have confused some, but for those who could follow it, it was one of the best ever featured in a video game.
Steve: It even featured an expansive card game that let you melt down the cards for scrap to build up your mechs! Weird, but effective!
Lyssa: We loved Final Fantasy VIII from start to finish, and it's worth playing more than once to learn all of the game's many secrets.
Ted: As much as it pains me to say it, the Saturn had a bit of an off year. Even though it featured some great games like Soul Calibur and Sonic 5, the top three games were all Ultra Nintendo. And these two games, Metal Gear Solid and Squad Four: Rebellion, topped them all.
Alex: Both of them were revolutionary, Metal Gear Solid in its approach to stealth and storytelling, and Squad Four: Rebellion in its approach to combat and presentation.
Brittany: You can't really go wrong with either one of them, and when it game to Game of the Year, we were, well...split down the middle.
Gary: Half of us, Ted, Steve, and myself, picked Metal Gear Solid as our favorite, while Alex, Brittany, and Lyssa picked Squad Four: Rebellion.
Lyssa: And so Game of the Year was decided by who put the other game higher on their lists. Both games were runner-up on one other person's list and were #3 on yet another person's.
Steve: That's right, Ted had Squad Four: Rebellion as his #2, and Brittany had Metal Gear Solid as hers. Alex had Metal Gear Solid as his #3, and Gary had Squad Four: Rebellion as his.
Ted: And so, the Game of the Year. Somebody had one of these two games at #4 on their list, and someone else had the other one at #5. And that game is our overall #2.
Lyssa: The #2 game of 1999 is... Metal Gear Solid. I had it at #5 on my list, but I loved it all the same for its thrilling storyline and fun espionage action.
Alex: Yeah, we gushed all over this game when we reviewed it back in February and we still love it today. Solid Snake is one badass action hero, and even though the first two Metal Gear games are classics, this is the one that put the series on the map for good.
Ted: Metal Gear Solid is an incredible game. It plays out like a movie. It's full of awesome action scenes and the stealth is incredibly complex, letting you choose whether to go in guns blazing or to try and sneak around. Sneaking is easier, but if you REALLY want to kill every enemy, you're welcome to try.
Steve: Metal Gear Solid is the best example of a game that's just as thrilling to watch as it is to play. Every character has a motivation, every action means something, and when Snake is charging an enemy base, the game kicks it up even further.
Brittany: Metal Gear Solid is damn close to perfect, and shows just how far games have come in the last decade. We loved every second of its thrilling action, and we can't wait to play another.
Alex: And there can only be one #1, and that #1 is... Squad Four: Rebellion.
Ted: What more can be said that hasn't been said already? The combat is nearly perfect, from its wide variety of potential strategies to its lock-on system that leaves the game working for you and doesn't force you to fight the game.
Brittany: It features some of the most well-developed characters in gaming history, particularly the rebel leader Raquel.
Gary: And its missions let you choose your own path, letting you take the game at any pace you choose.
Alex: Nintendo's done so much to bring its best franchises smoothly into the world of 3D, from Mario's pitch-perfect platforming, to Zelda's challenging exploration, and now with Squad Four's open world action gameplay, Nintendo has done it once more. This game is another masterpiece and not a single one of us had it lower than #4 on our lists. It was incredibly close, but Squad Four: Rebellion is our Game of the Year.
(...)
Ted: Hey, real quick, before we go, what's everybody's favorite game of the 90s? For me, it's a close pick between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Street Fighter II, but I think for me it's Street Fighter II because I spent so much time with that game learning every little thing about it that there is.
Alex: Man...that's a tough one...so many great games but I'll say The Legend Of Zelda: Temple of Time.
Steve: I agree with Alex, Temple of Time was just an awesome game.
Brittany: Well, for me it's still Tale Phantasia, it was so much fun exploring every inch of that game.
Lyssa: Oh man...that's hard...uh....umm...Secret of Mana! So much to love about it, the music, the great characters, I fell in love with that game.
Gary: I almost want to say Samurai Shodown for the Neo-Geo but Super Metroid for the cartridge SNES just barely ekes it out. It was the closest thing I've ever played to a truly perfect game.
Ted: By the way, we spent a little bit of time compiling our top 25 list for the entire decade...
Brittany: What do you mean a little bit, it was REALLY hard making that list!
Ted: And if you want to see that list and some of our thoughts on the past decade in gaming, just go online to GameTV.com and check that out.
Alex: Thanks again for tuning in to GameTV, it's been a fantastic decade and we can't wait to share the next one with you! We'll see you next time!
-excerpted from the January 4, 2000 episode of GameTV
-
Game Watch
Ultra Nintendo:
Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.- Winter '00
Bass Masters 2000- Winter '00
Brunswick Pro Circuit Bowling- Winter '00
Crusaders Of Might And Magic- Winter '00
Disavowed- Winter '00
ECW Hardcore Revolution- Winter '00
Kydia: Invading Armies- Winter '00
Mystical Ninja Goemon II- Winter '00
NASCAR: Daytona Thunder- Winter '00
Road Storm: Rampage- Winter '00
Transformers: Beast Wars- Winter '00
Ultra Formula One- Winter '00
Ultra Frederico- Winter '00
Wipeout 2- Winter '00
World Of Color: Millennium- Winter '00
Xena: Warrior Princess- Winter '00
Animastar- Spring '00
Breakers- Spring '00
Breath Of Fire IV- Spring '00
Chokeout- Spring '00
Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn- Spring '00
FIFA 2001- Spring '00
Fluid Fighters- Spring '00
Future Fear: Escape The Arena- Spring '00
Ken Griffey Jr's Ultra Slugfest- Spring '00
Mark Of The Wolves- Spring '00
Mega Man X6- Spring '00
Need For Speed: Unleashed- Spring '00
Ninja Gaiden Fury- Spring '00
Pokemon Stadium- Spring '00
Praxis Gold- Spring '00
Rage: The Revenge- Spring '00
RPG Maker- Spring '00
SaGa Frontier II- Spring '00
San Francisco Rush 2- Spring '00
Seventh Cross Evolution- Spring '00
Shujinko- Spring '00
Skulls- Spring '00
Soldier Of Misfortune- Spring '00
Stone: Slayers Of Rugal- Spring '00
The Ring: Terror's Realm- Spring '00
Top Gear: Hyper Bikes- Spring '00
Triple Play 2001- Spring '00
Ultra Excitebike- Spring '00
Ultra Road Rash 2- Spring '00
Ultra Storm Guardians- Spring '00
Velvet Dark- Spring '00
Wave Race: Ultramarine- Spring '00
Castlevania: The Occulted Circle- Summer '00
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX- Summer '00
Glyph: Heart Of Adventure- Summer '00
Legacy Of Kain- Summer '00
Legend Of Mana- Summer '00
Mega Man Legends 2- Summer '00
Nightsquad: City Of Angels- Summer '00
Quixsters 2- Summer '00
Tales Of The Seven Seas: The Victorian Legacy- Summer '00
Ultra King Of Fighters- Summer '00
Wrath And Ruin- Summer '00
Conker's Twelve Tales- Fall '00
Dance Dance Revolution- Fall '00
Gran Turismo 2- Fall '00
Jewels Of The Realm: Aqua Regia- Fall '00
Metroid: Darkness- Fall '00
Mystic Creature- Fall '00
Super Mario RPG 2: A Plumble Beginning- Fall '00
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask- Fall '00
Unreal Tournament- Fall '00
-
Interactive Entertainment Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Console Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Computer Game Of The Year: Junction Point
Action Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Adventure Game Of The Year: Final Fantasy VIII
Family Game Of The Year: Ultra Donkey Kong Country
Massively Multiplayer Game Of The Year: Pirate Quest
Racing Game Of The Year: Virtua Racing Reality
Role Playing Game Of The Year: Final Fantasy VIII
Shooter Game Of The Year: Doom: Inferno
Strategy/Simulation Game Of The Year: Ultra SimCity (Simulation), Campaign(Strategy)
Sports Game Of The Year: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Fighting Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Outstanding Art Direction: The Longest Journey
Outstanding Vocal Performance: David Hayter as Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid(Male), Sarah Hamilton as April Ryan in The Longest Journey(Female)
Outstanding Animation: The Longest Journey
Outstanding Game Design: Metal Gear Solid
Outstanding Gameplay Engineering: Squad Four: Rebellion
Outstanding Online Gameplay: Pirate Quest
Outstanding Original Music: Final Fantasy VIII
Outstanding Sound Design: Squad Four: Rebellion
Outstanding Story: NYPD: Narcotics Squad
Outstanding Visual Engineering: Squad Four: Rebellion
(based on the real-life Interactive Achievement Awards, OTL winners listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Interactive_Arts_%26_Sciences)
-
“By 1999, the Ultra Nintendo was reaching its apex, while the Sega Saturn had begun its final decline. Sega's fortunes had taken a turn for the worse, and despite some successful titles like Soul Calibur, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, the surprise hit NYPD: Narcotics Squad, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog 5, Sega couldn't reverse the Saturn's fortunes enough to put a dent in Nintendo's rapidly growing market share. The Ultra Nintendo was rapidly becoming not just the most successful game console of its day, but of all time, and by the end of the year had even surpassed the worldwide sales total of the SNES-CD peripheral that had given rise to one of the most successful partnerships in gaming. Nintendo and Sony were on cloud nine, and had even collaborated on the Game Boy Nova, which launched in Japan at the end of the year to more accolades and record-breaking sales. But even though Sega's present looked bleak, its future looked bright. The Katana was on the horizon, and was poised to take advantage of two of the Ultra Nintendo's biggest shortcomings: its lack of a robust online multiplayer system, and its lack of DVD playback. And Sega of America was in the midst of a restructuring, one that would eventually bring in the energetic Reggie Fils-Aime to head the company's North American branch. Tom Kalinske, the man arguably most responsible for Sega even being able to challenge Nintendo in the first place, was about to be kicked to the curb. And it was amidst all of this that Microsoft was finally preparing to enter the fray with its Xbox gaming console that promised to bring the best featuresof PC gaming to the living room. Numerous other consoles had made such promises and had failed, but Microsoft had brainpower and money on its side, and was looking to muscle its way into the race, either to become a legitimate third competitor or even to push out Sega during a time of transition. The king of gaming was still on its throne, but as the new millennium began, Nintendo would face a most unexpected challenge, one that would permanently alter its creative direction and one that would change the course of video game history forever.”
-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 7)”, Wired.com, June 26, 2012
-
Gamespot's Top 50 Games Of The 90s
50. Squad Four: Eclipse
49. Fairytale
48. Terranigma
47. Sonic The Hedgehog 4
46. Ultra Mario Kart
45. Tales Of The Seven Seas
44. Command And Conquer
43. World Of Color
42. Tale Phantasia
41. Spare Parts
40. Virtua Fighter 2
39. Final Fantasy VI
38. Snatcher
37. Myst
36. F-Zero
35. Ogre Battle: Princes Of The Universe
34. Gran Turismo
33. Ys I and II
32. The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
31. Yoshi's Island
30. Quake
29. Strider
28. The Secret Of Monkey Island
27. Super Mario World
26. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
25. Goldeneye 007
24. NiGHTS Into Dreams...
23. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
22. Final Fantasy VII
21. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
20. Metal Gear Solid
19. Half-Life
18. Chrono Trigger
17. Tekken 3
16. Super Mario World 2
15. Secret Of Mana
14. Junction Point
13. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
12. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
11. Shenmue
10. Civilization II
9. Squad Four: Rebellion
8. Doom
7. Super Mario Bros. 3
6. Soul Calibur
5. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
4. Super Mario Dimensions
3. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
1. Super Metroid
Top 25 Games Of The 90s (GameTV Hosts)
25. Super Bomberman CD
24. Phantasy Star II
23. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
22. Grim Fandango
21. Resident Evil
20. Soul Calibur
19. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
18. Goldeneye 007
17. Junction Point
16. Metal Gear Solid
15. Super Mario World 2
14. Doom
13. Final Fantasy VII
12. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
11. Chrono Trigger
10. Squad Four: Rebellion
9. Super Metroid
8. Civilization II
7. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
6. Tale Phantasia
5. Secret Of Mana
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
3. Super Mario Dimensions
2. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
Top 10 Games Of The 90s Voted On By GameTV Fans
10. Resident Evil
9. Super Mario Dimensions
8. Mortal Kombat
7. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
6. Doom
5. Final Fantasy VII
4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
3. Goldeneye 007
2. Metal Gear Solid
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
Top 10 Games Of The 90s Voted On By GameFAQs Users
10. Secret Of Mana
9. Super Metroid
8. Final Fantasy VIII
7. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
6. Metal Gear Solid
5. Super Mario Dimensions
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
3. Chrono Trigger
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
1. Final Fantasy VII
-
“The decade of the 90s forever changed gaming, certainly more than any decade before and likely more than any decade will until the Holodeck becomes a thing. We went from cartridges that couldn't even hold a megabyte of information, to optical discs that could hold gigabytes, from sidescrolling quests about rescuing a princess to fully-fleshed out worlds with stories rivaling those of the greatest screen epics. And it's impossible to underestimate the degree to which the Super Nintendo CD was the catalyst for all of this. It wasn't just a multimedia device, it used the advantages of the added power and memory to create bigger worlds, better characters, more interesting stories. It's impossible to say whether 2000 without the SNES-CD would've been compared to the 2000 that we got with it. Would we still have been blowing on cartridges, would the massive 3D worlds made possible by the optical disc stay limited to PC power users until 2002 or so? Would gaming have gone mainstream so quickly? Would I have ever gotten to be on MTV? The gaming revolution that the 1990s is now known for was probably inevitable, but without the SNES-CD to push it along, it would've rolled out far more slowly, and it's likely Sega would've been at the forefront. Maybe there'd still have been a Saturn, maybe it would've been the Saturn to make all those things happen. When I look back on the 90s, I see the greatest thing that ever happened to gaming. It was the decade when everything changed, and everything that happened after was a direct result of that. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it. I hope I get to see another decade like it. For those who were born too late to appreciate it, you guys really, really missed out.”
-Alex Stansfield, in a blog entry posted on January 22, 2016
-Bill Nye, in an interview with Anderson Cooper on a December 30, 1999 ABC News broadcast
“The Microsoft Xbox is the most developer-friendly game console ever made. We're going to change the way that people make video games, and the Xbox will be at the forefront of a revolution.”
-Bill Gates, in a January 2000 interview with Wired magazine
“Ten years ago, I was waiting for Super Mario Bros. 3. Look where I'm at now! Look where video games are at now! Look at how pretty the new Resident Evil game is! We've come a long way in terms of video game graphics. And yet... Super Mario Bros. 3 is still the better game. Maybe in the next decade we can work on the gameplay, okay?”
-Brittany Saldita, discussing the 90s on the January 4, 2000 episode of GameTV
“Well, violence in video games has been an issue I've confronted numerous times during my presidency. And it's true, games are getting more violent. But I think the industry is doing a really good job keeping these violent video games out of children's hands. Violence in this country has gone down since the start of the 90s, so I think...I mean, there are a lot of positive games. Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario, they're wholesome characters and kids love them. And Pokemon... I did a speech at an elementary school, and so many kids were playing with these Pokemon things. I have no clue what any of them are, to be honest. I asked Chelsea, but...I think she's too old for them because she didn't know anything either! Um...the violent games, a lot of adults play those. I have interns who play those. I think the companies do a pretty good job of saying which games are for adults and which games are for kids. I don't think it's that much of a problem right now.”
-President Bill Clinton, in a 60 Minutes interview on January 9, 2000
“Majora's Mask is another game that I am quite proud of. I'm very happy with the direction Nintendo's been going and I certainly hope we continue to be successful well into the future.”
-Shigeru Miyamoto
-
Top Selling Ultra Nintendo Games Of 1999 (North American sales only, pack-in sales included)
1. Super Mario Dimensions
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Squad Four: Rebellion
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
5. Final Fantasy VIII
6. Doom: Inferno
7. Ultra Mario Kart
8. Ultra Donkey Kong Country
9. Gran Turismo
10. Killer Instinct Ultra
Top Selling Sega Saturn Games Of 1999 (North American sales only, pack-in sales included)
1. Sonic The Hedgehog 5
2. Sonic The Hedgehog 4
3. Soul Calibur
4. Tekken 3
5. Virtua Fighter 3
6. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
7. Zodiac World
8. Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
9. Commander Keen: When Universes Collide
10. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
-
*Carson Daly and Owen Wilson are on stage to present the award for the Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year.*
Carson Daly: The Ultra Nintendo is the number one game console in the world right now, and these five games have all sold over a million-
Owen Wilson: *points at a box that's up on stage* Was that box up here when we got here?
Carson Daly: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was.
Owen Wilson: Because I coulda sworn-
Carson Daly: It's cool, it's cool, that box was already there.
Owen Wilson: Okay, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there.
Carson Daly: The nominees for Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year are...
Owen Wilson: *jumps* Geez! That box just moved!
*The box is now right next to the podium*
Carson Daly: Dude, that box was always here. You gotta relax.
Owen Wilson: *is freaking out* There's something under that box!
Carson Daly: The nominees for Ultra Nintendo Game of the Year are...
Doom: Inferno *Doomguy blasts a horde of demons, then is seen running through a crumbling city*
Final Fantasy VIII *Quistis whips an enemy for 863 damage, then the Titan Guardian mech is seen lowering onto the screen*
Half-Life *Gordon Freeman picks up some items*
Metal Gear Solid *Solid Snake comes out of a box from behind a guard and chokes him out*
Squad Four: Rebellion *Shad and Marcus team up to take out a huge King Kong-like giant gorilla*
Carson Daly: And the MTV Video Game Award goes to....
Solid Snake: Metal Gear Solid. *leans into the podium to talk into the microphone, Owen Wilson is lying unconscious next to the upturned box at his feet*
Carson Daly: Wait, you're Solid Snake, how'd you get here?
Solid Snake: Does it matter? I want my award.
Carson Daly: Well, I have to read the card and... well the card says Metal Gear Solid, I guess you won!
*The audience applauds*
Carson Daly: But what's with all the sneaking around and knocking out Owen Wilson? If you were just gonna win anyway, I mean-
Solid Snake: It's a matter of national security. *runs off the stage*
(…)
*Austin Powers (actually played by Mike Myers for the sketch) is sitting in a bar with Brittany Saldita and Lyssa Fielding, who are both playing a video game.*
Austin Powers: You know, we didn't have these games back where I came from. We had to make our own fun.
Lyssa: Oh? Is that right?
Austin: Yeah, come back to my pad and I can show you something way more fun than a video game, baby...
Brittany: I don't think it's more fun than this video game. *she hands Austin a controller* This is World of Color: Millennium and it's the best puzzle game of, well, the millennium.
Austin: Well, the millennium's still pretty young.
Brittany: Oh, just play it!
*The three play the video game, with Austin getting his butt kicked*
Lyssa: Ha! *she lands a massive combo, wiping out Austin's board and even freezing his controls for a few seconds*
Austin: Oh, behave, baby!
*The game ends pretty quickly after that, with Lyssa finishing in first, Brittany in a very close second, and Austin taking dead last*
Lyssa: Sorry we kicked your butt so badly, did you have fun anyway?
Austin: Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've gotten whipped by two foxy ladies! *laughs and winks at the camera* That game was pretty groovy, now you mind taking me up on my offer?
Brittany: I don't see why not. *smiling, the two get up to leave with Austin* And while we're having fun, Tony Hawk and Dave Mirra are gonna present the Babe of the Year award!
Austin: Oooh, smashing!
(…)
*So later on, Austin, Brittany, and Lyssa are seen in Austin's room...playing a game of Clue*
Brittany: Professor Plum did it with the candlestick in the kitchen!
Austin: And Austin did it with Felicity Shagwell in every room in the house, baby! Oh, yeah!
Lyssa: *laughing* Wrong, and VERY wrong.
*There's a knock on the door*
Lyssa: I wonder who that is?
Austin: Oh, I invited this year's Babe of the Year winner up to my room for some private fun! *he opens the door and Lara Croft comes in*
Lara Croft: So this is the famous Austin Powers. *smirks* I was expecting someone a bit more mysterious.
Austin: Well if you want to solve a mystery, take a look under here... *rips open his shirt to reveal his very hairy chest*
Lara: Not bad, I suppose, but I was wondering if you could come along with me on a journey...
Austin: I could come along with you on lots of journeys... *winks at the camera*
Lara: ...right. Anyway, I leave tomorrow morning...
Austin: Well, why don't we stay here tonight, play some more Clue?
Lyssa: Or Twister! *holds up the game which she fished out from under the bed*
Brittany: *nervously* Eheheheh.... *she gets up* I think I'll be leaving now, you three have fun. *she walks to the door*
Austin: Well, it's been nice playing with you!
Brittany: Right. *smiles as he lifts her hand up to his lips and kisses it* Well, good night. *she starts to leave...then stops and grabs Austin, passionately kissing him as the crowd ooohs and cheers* Mmm... *smiling as she leaves*
Austin: Still got my mojo, baby! Yeah, baby, yeah! *closes the door as we see Lara and Lyssa setting up the Twister game*
-from the MTV Video Game Awards, which aired on February 29, 2000
MTV Video Game Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year:
Final Fantasy VIII
Metal Gear Solid
Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Soul Calibur
Squad Four: Rebellion
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year:
Doom: Inferno
Final Fantasy VIII
Half-Life
Metal Gear Solid
Squad Four: Rebellion
Saturn Game Of The Year:
Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
NYPD: Narcotics Squad
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Soul Calibur
Handheld Game Of The Year:
Final Fantasy Soldier
International Superstar Soccer
Pokemon Yellow
Submariner
The Uncanny X-Men
Sports Game Of The Year:
Madden NFL 2000
NFL Blitz 2000
NHL '00
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Racing Game Of The Year:
Beetle Adventure Racing
Crazy Taxi
Ultra Road Rash 2
Ultra Spinout 2
Virtua Racing Reality
RPG Of The Year:
ActRaiser Valkyrie
Final Fantasy VIII
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Pokemon Yellow
Primrose Soldier
Fighting Game Of The Year:
Deathblow II
Hakendo
Marvel vs. Capcom
Raigeki II
Soul Calibur
Shooter Of The Year:
Brigadier
Doom: Inferno
Duke Nukem Forever
Half-Life
Lethal Enforcers: Emergency Situation
Scariest Game Of The Year:
Dino Crisis
Emergency
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil: Operation Stormwind
Silent Hill
Best Soundtrack:
Final Fantasy VIII
Metal Gear Solid
Soul Calibur
Umjammer Lammy
Ultra Donkey Kong Country
New Character Of The Year
Fred Kroenin (NYPD: Narcotics Squad)
Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
Raquel Elizondo (Squad Four: Rebellion)
Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid)
Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)
Villain Of The Year
Captain Chaos (Commander Keen: When Universes Collide)
Kahran Ramsus (Final Fantasy VIII)
Kain (Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver)
Liquid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
Nightmare (Soul Calibur)
Babe Of The Year
Lara Croft (Tomb Raider III)
Meryl Silverburgh (Metal Gear Solid)
Quistis Trepe (Final Fantasy VIII)
Rebecca (Squad Four: Rebellion)
Sarah Klausterman (Emergency)
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Billboard Number One Songs Of 1999:
January 2: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 9: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 16: “I'm Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Selena
January 23: “Have You Ever?” by Brandy
January 30: “Have You Ever?” by Brandy
February 6: “...Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears
February 13: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
February 20: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
February 27: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 6: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 13: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 20: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
March 27: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 3: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 10: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 17: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
April 24: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
May 1: “Believe” by Cher
May 8: “Believe” by Cher
May 15: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
May 22: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
May 29: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 5: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 12: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 19: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
June 26: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
July 3: “Livin' La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin
July 10: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
July 17: “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny's Child
July 24: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
July 31: “Way No Way” by Nirvana
August 7: “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
August 14: “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
August 21: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
August 28: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 4: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 11: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 18: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
September 25: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 2: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 9: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 16: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 23: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
October 30: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 6: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 13: “Corazon” by Santana and Selena
November 20: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
November 27: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 4: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 11: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 18: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
December 25: “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas
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Electronic Gaming Monthly Editors' Choice Awards 1999:
Game of the Year: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Metal Gear Solid, Soul Calibur
In one of the most divisive debates we've ever had, Squad Four: Rebellion eked out the narrowest of victories over Metal Gear Solid. In the end, we just found it to be a bit more fun than Solid Snake's stealth adventure, though both games (and our third place choice, Soul Calibur) were worthy of this honor.
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VIII
It was a banner year for the Ultra Nintendo, and though Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VIII made extremely good cases, we couldn't deny Squad Four: Rebellion.
Sega Saturn Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Sonic the Hedgehog 5, Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Soul Calibur was one of the best fighting games we've ever played, and was a real showcase for what the Saturn can do. All three of these games utilized the Ring to its true potential.
Handheld Game Of The Year: Pokemon Yellow
Runners-up: The Uncanny X-Men, Submariner
X-Men might be the best portable superhero game we've ever played, but Pokemon Yellow gave us hours more fun in the exciting world of Pokemon, with some upgrades that make it worth playing.
Best RPG: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, ActRaiser Valkyrie
Final Fantasy VIII was an astonishing feat of storytelling and RPG gameplay. It blew our minds from the opening cutscene, and it really wasn't much of a debate in this category.
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Hakendo, Marvel vs. Capcom
Soul Calibur might just be the best fighting game of all time, and was an easy pick for the best one of the year.
Best Graphics: Squad Four: Rebellion
Runners-up: Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid
Half-Life wasn't a completely faithful PC port but was still one of the Ultra Nintendo's most impressive games. It couldn't quite match up to the beautiful environments and realistic character designs of Squad Four: Rebelllion, which brought the world of Lockstar to life like never before.
Best Music: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Metal Gear Solid, Umjammer Lammy
Nobuo Uematsu is a musical genius, and his collaboration with young Yasunori Mitsuda brought a huge variety of musical stylings to the amazing Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack.
Electronic Gaming Monthly Readers' Choice Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Final Fantasy VIII, Squad Four: Rebellion
Ultra Nintendo Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Final Fantasy VIII, Squad Four: Rebellion
Sega Saturn Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: NYPD: Narcotics Squad, Sonic the Hedgehog 5
Handheld Game Of The Year: Pokemon Yellow
Runners-up: The Uncanny X-Men, Final Fantasy Soldier
Best RPG: Final Fantasy VIII
Runner-up: Primrose Soldier, ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Runner-up: Deathblow II, Hakendo
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid
Runners-up: Half-Life, Final Fantasy VIII
Best Music: Metal Gear Solid
Runner-up: Final Fantasy VIII, ActRaiser Valkyrie
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Gamespot Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year (Console): Soul Calibur
Game Of The Year (Computer): Junction Point
Game Of The Year (Readers' Choice): Metal Gear Solid
Best Graphics, Artistic (Console): ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Graphics, Technical (Console): Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Original Music: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Sound Effects/Design (Console): Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Story (Console): Final Fantasy VIII
Best Game No One Played: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Most Disappointing Game (Console): Aliens vs. Predator
Best Action/Adventure: Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Driving Game: Wheelman
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur
Best Puzzle Game: Umjammer Lammy
Best Role-Playing Game: ActRaiser Valkyrie
Best Shooter: Doom: Inferno
Best Traditional Sports Game: Madden NFL 2000
Best Alternative Sports Game: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Best Ultra Nintendo Game: Squad Four: Rebellion
Best Saturn Game: Soul Calibur
Best Game Boy Color Game: Submariner
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This year brought a supremely impressive lineup of PC games in a huge variety of genres. While many of these games are either already on consoles or will eventually end up on one or more of them, many more will remain exclusive to PC users indefinitely, showing the incredible value in playing games on PC. Here is a brief countdown of our top 10.
#10: Ultima IX: Ascension
Ultima IX had a rocky road to release, but was ultimately a rich tale of virtue and heroism that carried on the series' storyline while incorporating elements from the popular recent console titles.
#9: Pirate Quest
Sony's online tale of swashbuckling and thievery proved quite popular, becoming one of the most widely populated MMOs.
#8: The Longest Journey
This challenging and mature puzzle adventure featured impressive voice acting and a mystery that rewards players who can sniff out all the clues.
#7: Half-Life: Opposing Force
You wanted more Half-Life, and you got it in this thrilling expansion pack that puts you in the shoes of a Marine on a mission.
#6: Roller Coaster Tycoon
This surprisingly addictive theme park simulator let us unleash our creativity, but also held the potential for some hilarious designs.
#5: Zap! Alien Conquest
In another of the year's funniest games, this deep space war game never took itself too seriously but was still a challenging and engrossing sim.
#4: Counter-Strike
The little mod that could has become a worldwide phenomenon and one of the most popular software hacks ever devised. It takes Half-Life's fantastic FPS gameplay and adapts it for a thrilling multiplayer challenge, forcing even Valve to take notice. The game has been announced for an official release sometime later this year.
#3: Heroes Of Might And Magic III
One of the best strategy games we've seen, and a game that continues this series' excellent reputation, Heroes of Might and Magic III depicts massive clashes of armies in a thrilling battle for the fate of a realm.
#2: Homeworld
Sierra's brilliant space sim is a masterpiece of amazing visuals and complex gameplay, delivering one of the best and most complete games we've ever played. The deep storyline brings real meaning to every battle, and you'll find yourself determined to claim victory.
#1: Junction Point
The perfect mix of survival horror, FPS, and RPG gameplay, this title takes you on an Apocalypse Now-like descent into madness onboard a seemingly abandoned spaceship. As a spiritual successor to the classic System Shock, it succeeds on just about every level.
-excerpted from an article in the February 2000 issue of Wired magazine
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And we're finding out more and more about the Katana, Sega's newest game system set to be released this year in Japan and sometime early next year here in the States. It's now been confirmed that the next Commander Keen game will be revealed as a launch game for the Katana, and is likely being positioned as the key launch game for the system, which will be lacking a Sonic game at release (similarly to the Saturn, which didn't get Sonic the Hedgehog 4 until the year after the console launched in North America).
It is rumored that Sega will be working with Sun Microsystems on the Katana's internals, though no official confirmation has been given. The system's graphics will likely be powered by a Real 3D GPU that looks to be significantly more powerful than the Ultra Nintendo's Artemis chip, and all the screenshots and videos we've seen confirm that the Katana's capabilities will significantly outpace the Ultra Nintendo's in every way, from performance to memory. Whether or not the system will be capable of running many of the latest PC hits is yet to be determined, but a version of Half-Life has been confirmed for the console, and an early rumor is that the game may even include a version of Counter-Strike to take advantage of the Katana's online capabilities.
Online looks to be Sega's secret weapon in its ongoing battle with Nintendo. Phantasy Star Online is expected to be pushed heavily and will feature cross-country play, so that players in North America can play alongside Japanese players. Were Counter-Strike to appear on the Katana, it would be another coup for FPS fans, and would strike a blow against the hit Half-Life port on the Ultra Nintendo.
Again, everything at this early stage is speculation. We expect Sega to reveal much more about the Katana at this May's E3 trade show, where it will certainly be the centerpiece of Sega's presentation.
-from Next Generation magazine's Year 2000 preview in the January 2000 issue
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More Katana Details: Commander Keen 12 First Screenshots! (27 posts)
The first screenshots of Commander Keen 12 just showed up in my new EGM. The game looks amazing. I don't know if these are real or just cutscenes but...
You guys, saturn is NOT next gen (8 posts)
saturn was released like 5 years ago. Its graphics lok like crap and even w/the ring nintendo still looks way better, i will b marking all saturn related topics for off topic from now on...
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (170 posts)
Famitsu just had an article about the game and it looks really cool. Graphics seem to be a bit better than Temple of Time and the game looks like it'll play very similarly...
i heard counter-strike is coming to x box (6 posts)
Just a rumor but valve and Microsoft seem to be getting closer and the half-life katana port will have opposing forces while the x box port will have opposing forces AND counter-strike according...
X-Box is going to bankrupt Microsoft. (34 posts)
Remember the Bandai Solaris? Microsoft is facing a huge lawsuit and it's trying to compete with Nintendo and Sega. Nobody thinks Microsoft's new X-Box will actually succeed...
No Final Fantasy IX til next year
(5 posts)An interview with Hiranobu Sakaguchi said that it looks like FF9 will be delayed to next year, the company spent too long working on VIII and IX looks to be even bigger...
New Castlevania game for Ultra looks like teh best ever (19 posts)
U get to hunt like 12 vampires, how sweet is that? And the castle looks way bigger than in Symphony of the Night.
How much do you think the Katana will cost? (106 posts)
Do you think Sega will try to go cheap on it and make it like 200 dollars or will it be 400 like the Saturn was? Or somewhere in between? I think it'll be 349, all that technology...
I sure hope we get that new sailor moon katana game (30 posts)
That new Sailor Moon game coming out for the Katana looks really cool, it's supposed to have all the sailor guardians and villains in it but they said it's only coming in Japan so...
Why buy an X Box when you can just buy a computer? (44 posts)
I mean they're gonna be the same thing, right?
Squad Four Rebellion Discussion Thread (457 posts)
Welcome to the discussion for all things Squad Four: Rebellion! It just came out and it got a Platinum Award from EGM, only their fourth ever! Discuss how awesome the game is and share hints...
NFL 2K1 vs. Nintendo's New Football Game (30 posts)
Sega's new NFL game looks pretty sweet, but Nintendo's working on their own football series like how they have baseball and basketball games. I wonder if they'll get Deion Sanders to...
if u buy a kitana u r seriously dum (174 posts)
i mean come on, nintendo will just com out w/someting way better so ur just wasting ur $$$. i mean i wont tell u wut 2 do but come on
-from posts on GameFAQs.com's Next-Gen Gaming board, taken on January 1, 2000
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Ted Crosley: And once again, we'll be counting down 25 games.
Alex Stansfield: That's right, sit back and watch us as we count down our top 25 games of the year.
Brittany Saldita: This year was maybe the best year ever for video games and we had a hell of a time picking just 25, there were so many worthy games this year but we FINALLY managed to settle on a list.
Steve Horton: And at number 25, we've got Commander Keen: When Universes Collide! The kid hero returned in a game with lots of awesome weapons and annoying little sisters. We laughed until we cried!
Gary Westhouse: At number 24, it's Blast Corps: Ultra Destruction. Smashing stuff to pieces has never been more fun, and this game had plenty of that and plenty of sweet machines for us to do the wrecking.
Ted: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding comes in at #23. Doing sweet tricks and racing down a killer mountain are fun enough, but when you combine that with awesome tunes and one of the strangest casts of characters in video game history, you've got a true classic.
Brittany: Our number 22 was NYPD: Narcotics Squad. This game about two NYPD officers battling a corrupt criminal organization featured one of the best storylines ever, which made up for its somewhat repetitive combat.
Lyssa Fielding: And at number 21, it was Syrielle Soul, a game even Ted found fun this time around! Our favorite characters returned with some new friends as this quirky high school half-spider girl went through all the typical high school problems and did battle against her evil science teacher!
Alex: We had Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver at #20. While it wasn't quite as fun to explore this huge world, the gameplay and plot still had us on the edge of our seats, and it was a real beauty of a game.
Ted: At #19 was the strange but really fun platformer Outfoxed. We traveled through strange lands, rescuing our friends from a real jerk of a hunter, and had lots of hilarious fun in the process.
Steve: All right, #18 was Ultra Donkey Kong Country! Another killer platformer, this fantastic game had us going all over the world, battling evil Kremlings and kicking butt with four Kongs at once! Playing by yourself is fun, but playing with friends is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
Brittany: The epic Konami RPG Primrose Soldier was our #17 game. Beautiful and poignant, it was the tale of a young soldier who had to defy his country to protect a girl who could be the key to saving the world from extinction.
Alex: And in #16, Super Smash Bros. brought all of our favorite Nintendo characters to life and let us force them to beat the hell out of each other. Yes, you heard that right.
Gary: Number 15 was the spooky Silent Hill. This town held a lot of secrets and let us scared to go to sleep at night, the mark of a truly good horror game.
Steve: The awesome Half-Life port for the Ultra Nintendo was our #14 game, it brought Gordon Freeman's terrifying adventure to the home console and proved to be one of the best FPS titles we've ever seen.
Lyssa: And at number 13, ActRaiser Valkyrie took one of the best classic action RPGs and added Norse mythology to make one delicious casserole of role-playing goodness!
Ted: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater did a big 900 right into the number 12 spot on our list. With awesome tricks and super addictive gameplay, it was almost as fun as learning to skateboard for real.
Brittany: We loved Grim Fandango on PC last year and we loved it just as much on the Ultra Nintendo. This challenging mystery comes in at #11 on our list, and those willing to put in the time will be rewarded with one of the best point and click games ever made.
Alex: So that leaves us with our top 10, and when we come back, we'll count 'em all down. Stay tuned!
(…)
Ted: We're back, counting down our top ten games of the year.
Lyssa: Every single one of these games gave us hours of fun and are considered must plays for any gamer looking to have a really good time!
Gary: We'll start with number 10, Emergency. This thrilling horror title was packed with scares and excitement, along with some of the best survival horror gameplay of the year.
Brittany: It was a fast-paced game that constantly had us on the edge of our seats, and even gave us plenty of comic relief between all the scary moments.
Alex: It definitely focused more on action than horror, and that's part of the reason it was such a unique and exciting game.
Lyssa: At number nine we have The Longest Journey, which told the story of April Ryan, who goes on a journey to discover her mysterious past.
Ted: And in the process, discovers more about her world than she ever could've imagined.
Gary: It's an incredible game, full of mystery and wonder and a LOT of angst, but by the end of the story you definitely feel deeply for April and have a deep connection to her.
Steve: Dino Crisis is our number eight game. It's got dinosaurs, and games with dinosaurs tend to be EXTREMELY good.
Ted: Yeah, see the Turok series for a big example of that. Beyond the dinosaurs, Dino Crisis was just a really deep survival horror game.
Brittany: It had several different story paths to explore, all the while leaving you vulnerable to a deadly attack.
Ted: We LOVED Sonic the Hedgehog 5, and it comes in at #7.
Alex: Sonic goes full 3D for the very first time, and his beautiful world was a joy to explore.
Steve: With big bosses and lots of pals to help you out along the way, Sonic 5 was the most epic Sonic the Hedgehog game yet.
Gary: It wasn't as tight of a platforming experience as previous games in the series, but never has a Sonic game featured such diverse and exciting gameplay.
Lyssa: And the voice acting was top notch, even legends like Ernest Borgnine showed up to lend their voices to the game's unique cast.
Alex: F-Zero: Ultracharged was our number 6.
Brittany: This game was damn tough, but we've never seen such a thrilling racer.
Lyssa: Super fast cars racing through amazing futuristic environments, this game definitely gave us our money's worth and then some!
Gary: Working to master this game's tracks is totally worth it, that feeling you get when you cross the finish line of the final course on the hardest difficulty setting is impossible to beat.
Ted: The best Resident Evil game to date might have been released in November. Resident Evil: Code Veronica starts off our top five at #5.
Brittany: Claire Redfield and her friend Abigail Chambers must navigate a terrifying prison while some of the most horrifying monsters ever seen in a video game chase them every step of the way.
Steve: This game was pants-wettingly scary at times, and it never, ever, ever let up!
Alex: Just when you think you're safe, something comes out from the walls and kills you, and that can happen at any time. This game showed no mercy to its beleaguered ladies.
Lyssa: And it featured one of the most rewarding endings of any Resident Evil game yet, if you can make it that far! And now our #4 game features lots of kickin' and punchin'...
Alex: Don't forget slashing with swords. It's Soul Calibur!
Ted: This was easily one of the best fighting games we've played in quite a while. The gorgeous graphics and intuitive play controls were only the tip of the iceberg, this game featured a variety of characters and fighting styles, making it one of the most strategic fighting games ever.
Gary: This game required the Ring and from the moment you boot it up, you can see why. The backgrounds are gorgeous, this game looks nearly arcade perfect.
Brittany: In other years this game might've been #1, and even at #4, it's definitely a worthy pick for Game of the Year.
Ted: And speaking of Game of the Year, we're down to just three games vying for that title. Find out our top pick when we return!
(…)
Ted: Hey guys, we're back with the top three games of the year, and what a year it was. Number three is Final Fantasy VIII, one of the best RPGs ever made. This gorgeous epic featured a cast of characters with plenty of heart and soul, and once they climbed into their giant Guardian mechs, the battles took on a whole new level of epic.
Brittany: Yeah, this game perfectly pulled off giant mech combat in a brilliant way. While you couldn't use your mechs every battle because they had to eventually be refueled, you could climb aboard them when you needed to and use up your remaining fuel to unleash a devastating attack.
Alex: The deep plotline might have confused some, but for those who could follow it, it was one of the best ever featured in a video game.
Steve: It even featured an expansive card game that let you melt down the cards for scrap to build up your mechs! Weird, but effective!
Lyssa: We loved Final Fantasy VIII from start to finish, and it's worth playing more than once to learn all of the game's many secrets.
Ted: As much as it pains me to say it, the Saturn had a bit of an off year. Even though it featured some great games like Soul Calibur and Sonic 5, the top three games were all Ultra Nintendo. And these two games, Metal Gear Solid and Squad Four: Rebellion, topped them all.
Alex: Both of them were revolutionary, Metal Gear Solid in its approach to stealth and storytelling, and Squad Four: Rebellion in its approach to combat and presentation.
Brittany: You can't really go wrong with either one of them, and when it game to Game of the Year, we were, well...split down the middle.
Gary: Half of us, Ted, Steve, and myself, picked Metal Gear Solid as our favorite, while Alex, Brittany, and Lyssa picked Squad Four: Rebellion.
Lyssa: And so Game of the Year was decided by who put the other game higher on their lists. Both games were runner-up on one other person's list and were #3 on yet another person's.
Steve: That's right, Ted had Squad Four: Rebellion as his #2, and Brittany had Metal Gear Solid as hers. Alex had Metal Gear Solid as his #3, and Gary had Squad Four: Rebellion as his.
Ted: And so, the Game of the Year. Somebody had one of these two games at #4 on their list, and someone else had the other one at #5. And that game is our overall #2.
Lyssa: The #2 game of 1999 is... Metal Gear Solid. I had it at #5 on my list, but I loved it all the same for its thrilling storyline and fun espionage action.
Alex: Yeah, we gushed all over this game when we reviewed it back in February and we still love it today. Solid Snake is one badass action hero, and even though the first two Metal Gear games are classics, this is the one that put the series on the map for good.
Ted: Metal Gear Solid is an incredible game. It plays out like a movie. It's full of awesome action scenes and the stealth is incredibly complex, letting you choose whether to go in guns blazing or to try and sneak around. Sneaking is easier, but if you REALLY want to kill every enemy, you're welcome to try.
Steve: Metal Gear Solid is the best example of a game that's just as thrilling to watch as it is to play. Every character has a motivation, every action means something, and when Snake is charging an enemy base, the game kicks it up even further.
Brittany: Metal Gear Solid is damn close to perfect, and shows just how far games have come in the last decade. We loved every second of its thrilling action, and we can't wait to play another.
Alex: And there can only be one #1, and that #1 is... Squad Four: Rebellion.
Ted: What more can be said that hasn't been said already? The combat is nearly perfect, from its wide variety of potential strategies to its lock-on system that leaves the game working for you and doesn't force you to fight the game.
Brittany: It features some of the most well-developed characters in gaming history, particularly the rebel leader Raquel.
Gary: And its missions let you choose your own path, letting you take the game at any pace you choose.
Alex: Nintendo's done so much to bring its best franchises smoothly into the world of 3D, from Mario's pitch-perfect platforming, to Zelda's challenging exploration, and now with Squad Four's open world action gameplay, Nintendo has done it once more. This game is another masterpiece and not a single one of us had it lower than #4 on our lists. It was incredibly close, but Squad Four: Rebellion is our Game of the Year.
(...)
Ted: Hey, real quick, before we go, what's everybody's favorite game of the 90s? For me, it's a close pick between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Street Fighter II, but I think for me it's Street Fighter II because I spent so much time with that game learning every little thing about it that there is.
Alex: Man...that's a tough one...so many great games but I'll say The Legend Of Zelda: Temple of Time.
Steve: I agree with Alex, Temple of Time was just an awesome game.
Brittany: Well, for me it's still Tale Phantasia, it was so much fun exploring every inch of that game.
Lyssa: Oh man...that's hard...uh....umm...Secret of Mana! So much to love about it, the music, the great characters, I fell in love with that game.
Gary: I almost want to say Samurai Shodown for the Neo-Geo but Super Metroid for the cartridge SNES just barely ekes it out. It was the closest thing I've ever played to a truly perfect game.
Ted: By the way, we spent a little bit of time compiling our top 25 list for the entire decade...
Brittany: What do you mean a little bit, it was REALLY hard making that list!
Ted: And if you want to see that list and some of our thoughts on the past decade in gaming, just go online to GameTV.com and check that out.
Alex: Thanks again for tuning in to GameTV, it's been a fantastic decade and we can't wait to share the next one with you! We'll see you next time!
-excerpted from the January 4, 2000 episode of GameTV
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Game Watch
Ultra Nintendo:
Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.- Winter '00
Bass Masters 2000- Winter '00
Brunswick Pro Circuit Bowling- Winter '00
Crusaders Of Might And Magic- Winter '00
Disavowed- Winter '00
ECW Hardcore Revolution- Winter '00
Kydia: Invading Armies- Winter '00
Mystical Ninja Goemon II- Winter '00
NASCAR: Daytona Thunder- Winter '00
Road Storm: Rampage- Winter '00
Transformers: Beast Wars- Winter '00
Ultra Formula One- Winter '00
Ultra Frederico- Winter '00
Wipeout 2- Winter '00
World Of Color: Millennium- Winter '00
Xena: Warrior Princess- Winter '00
Animastar- Spring '00
Breakers- Spring '00
Breath Of Fire IV- Spring '00
Chokeout- Spring '00
Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn- Spring '00
FIFA 2001- Spring '00
Fluid Fighters- Spring '00
Future Fear: Escape The Arena- Spring '00
Ken Griffey Jr's Ultra Slugfest- Spring '00
Mark Of The Wolves- Spring '00
Mega Man X6- Spring '00
Need For Speed: Unleashed- Spring '00
Ninja Gaiden Fury- Spring '00
Pokemon Stadium- Spring '00
Praxis Gold- Spring '00
Rage: The Revenge- Spring '00
RPG Maker- Spring '00
SaGa Frontier II- Spring '00
San Francisco Rush 2- Spring '00
Seventh Cross Evolution- Spring '00
Shujinko- Spring '00
Skulls- Spring '00
Soldier Of Misfortune- Spring '00
Stone: Slayers Of Rugal- Spring '00
The Ring: Terror's Realm- Spring '00
Top Gear: Hyper Bikes- Spring '00
Triple Play 2001- Spring '00
Ultra Excitebike- Spring '00
Ultra Road Rash 2- Spring '00
Ultra Storm Guardians- Spring '00
Velvet Dark- Spring '00
Wave Race: Ultramarine- Spring '00
Castlevania: The Occulted Circle- Summer '00
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX- Summer '00
Glyph: Heart Of Adventure- Summer '00
Legacy Of Kain- Summer '00
Legend Of Mana- Summer '00
Mega Man Legends 2- Summer '00
Nightsquad: City Of Angels- Summer '00
Quixsters 2- Summer '00
Tales Of The Seven Seas: The Victorian Legacy- Summer '00
Ultra King Of Fighters- Summer '00
Wrath And Ruin- Summer '00
Conker's Twelve Tales- Fall '00
Dance Dance Revolution- Fall '00
Gran Turismo 2- Fall '00
Jewels Of The Realm: Aqua Regia- Fall '00
Metroid: Darkness- Fall '00
Mystic Creature- Fall '00
Super Mario RPG 2: A Plumble Beginning- Fall '00
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask- Fall '00
Unreal Tournament- Fall '00
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Interactive Entertainment Awards 1999:
Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Console Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Computer Game Of The Year: Junction Point
Action Game Of The Year: Metal Gear Solid
Adventure Game Of The Year: Final Fantasy VIII
Family Game Of The Year: Ultra Donkey Kong Country
Massively Multiplayer Game Of The Year: Pirate Quest
Racing Game Of The Year: Virtua Racing Reality
Role Playing Game Of The Year: Final Fantasy VIII
Shooter Game Of The Year: Doom: Inferno
Strategy/Simulation Game Of The Year: Ultra SimCity (Simulation), Campaign(Strategy)
Sports Game Of The Year: White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding
Fighting Game Of The Year: Soul Calibur
Outstanding Art Direction: The Longest Journey
Outstanding Vocal Performance: David Hayter as Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid(Male), Sarah Hamilton as April Ryan in The Longest Journey(Female)
Outstanding Animation: The Longest Journey
Outstanding Game Design: Metal Gear Solid
Outstanding Gameplay Engineering: Squad Four: Rebellion
Outstanding Online Gameplay: Pirate Quest
Outstanding Original Music: Final Fantasy VIII
Outstanding Sound Design: Squad Four: Rebellion
Outstanding Story: NYPD: Narcotics Squad
Outstanding Visual Engineering: Squad Four: Rebellion
(based on the real-life Interactive Achievement Awards, OTL winners listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Interactive_Arts_%26_Sciences)
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“By 1999, the Ultra Nintendo was reaching its apex, while the Sega Saturn had begun its final decline. Sega's fortunes had taken a turn for the worse, and despite some successful titles like Soul Calibur, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, the surprise hit NYPD: Narcotics Squad, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog 5, Sega couldn't reverse the Saturn's fortunes enough to put a dent in Nintendo's rapidly growing market share. The Ultra Nintendo was rapidly becoming not just the most successful game console of its day, but of all time, and by the end of the year had even surpassed the worldwide sales total of the SNES-CD peripheral that had given rise to one of the most successful partnerships in gaming. Nintendo and Sony were on cloud nine, and had even collaborated on the Game Boy Nova, which launched in Japan at the end of the year to more accolades and record-breaking sales. But even though Sega's present looked bleak, its future looked bright. The Katana was on the horizon, and was poised to take advantage of two of the Ultra Nintendo's biggest shortcomings: its lack of a robust online multiplayer system, and its lack of DVD playback. And Sega of America was in the midst of a restructuring, one that would eventually bring in the energetic Reggie Fils-Aime to head the company's North American branch. Tom Kalinske, the man arguably most responsible for Sega even being able to challenge Nintendo in the first place, was about to be kicked to the curb. And it was amidst all of this that Microsoft was finally preparing to enter the fray with its Xbox gaming console that promised to bring the best featuresof PC gaming to the living room. Numerous other consoles had made such promises and had failed, but Microsoft had brainpower and money on its side, and was looking to muscle its way into the race, either to become a legitimate third competitor or even to push out Sega during a time of transition. The king of gaming was still on its throne, but as the new millennium began, Nintendo would face a most unexpected challenge, one that would permanently alter its creative direction and one that would change the course of video game history forever.”
-”The History Of Console Gaming: Year-By-Year (Part 7)”, Wired.com, June 26, 2012
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Gamespot's Top 50 Games Of The 90s
50. Squad Four: Eclipse
49. Fairytale
48. Terranigma
47. Sonic The Hedgehog 4
46. Ultra Mario Kart
45. Tales Of The Seven Seas
44. Command And Conquer
43. World Of Color
42. Tale Phantasia
41. Spare Parts
40. Virtua Fighter 2
39. Final Fantasy VI
38. Snatcher
37. Myst
36. F-Zero
35. Ogre Battle: Princes Of The Universe
34. Gran Turismo
33. Ys I and II
32. The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
31. Yoshi's Island
30. Quake
29. Strider
28. The Secret Of Monkey Island
27. Super Mario World
26. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
25. Goldeneye 007
24. NiGHTS Into Dreams...
23. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
22. Final Fantasy VII
21. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
20. Metal Gear Solid
19. Half-Life
18. Chrono Trigger
17. Tekken 3
16. Super Mario World 2
15. Secret Of Mana
14. Junction Point
13. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
12. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
11. Shenmue
10. Civilization II
9. Squad Four: Rebellion
8. Doom
7. Super Mario Bros. 3
6. Soul Calibur
5. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
4. Super Mario Dimensions
3. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
1. Super Metroid
Top 25 Games Of The 90s (GameTV Hosts)
25. Super Bomberman CD
24. Phantasy Star II
23. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
22. Grim Fandango
21. Resident Evil
20. Soul Calibur
19. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
18. Goldeneye 007
17. Junction Point
16. Metal Gear Solid
15. Super Mario World 2
14. Doom
13. Final Fantasy VII
12. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
11. Chrono Trigger
10. Squad Four: Rebellion
9. Super Metroid
8. Civilization II
7. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
6. Tale Phantasia
5. Secret Of Mana
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
3. Super Mario Dimensions
2. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
Top 10 Games Of The 90s Voted On By GameTV Fans
10. Resident Evil
9. Super Mario Dimensions
8. Mortal Kombat
7. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
6. Doom
5. Final Fantasy VII
4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3
3. Goldeneye 007
2. Metal Gear Solid
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
Top 10 Games Of The 90s Voted On By GameFAQs Users
10. Secret Of Mana
9. Super Metroid
8. Final Fantasy VIII
7. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
6. Metal Gear Solid
5. Super Mario Dimensions
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Dreams
3. Chrono Trigger
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Temple Of Time
1. Final Fantasy VII
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“The decade of the 90s forever changed gaming, certainly more than any decade before and likely more than any decade will until the Holodeck becomes a thing. We went from cartridges that couldn't even hold a megabyte of information, to optical discs that could hold gigabytes, from sidescrolling quests about rescuing a princess to fully-fleshed out worlds with stories rivaling those of the greatest screen epics. And it's impossible to underestimate the degree to which the Super Nintendo CD was the catalyst for all of this. It wasn't just a multimedia device, it used the advantages of the added power and memory to create bigger worlds, better characters, more interesting stories. It's impossible to say whether 2000 without the SNES-CD would've been compared to the 2000 that we got with it. Would we still have been blowing on cartridges, would the massive 3D worlds made possible by the optical disc stay limited to PC power users until 2002 or so? Would gaming have gone mainstream so quickly? Would I have ever gotten to be on MTV? The gaming revolution that the 1990s is now known for was probably inevitable, but without the SNES-CD to push it along, it would've rolled out far more slowly, and it's likely Sega would've been at the forefront. Maybe there'd still have been a Saturn, maybe it would've been the Saturn to make all those things happen. When I look back on the 90s, I see the greatest thing that ever happened to gaming. It was the decade when everything changed, and everything that happened after was a direct result of that. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it. I hope I get to see another decade like it. For those who were born too late to appreciate it, you guys really, really missed out.”
-Alex Stansfield, in a blog entry posted on January 22, 2016
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Sun Microsystems? That's quite the choice for a technology partner. I wonder how the Silicon Graphics folks feel about this.
Does Sega see the worth of backwards compatibility between the Saturn and the Katana?
Final Fantasy Soldier... you know I don't think we got to know much about the original games on this timeline's Game Boy Color.
And the note of big challenge facing Nintendo, altering its creative endeavors...
A major Nintendo figure is going to die, isn't it?
Table of Contents
1991 - 1998
1999 - Nearing the End of the Millennium
January 1999: Down from the Holiday Highs / Sega's Horoscope isn't Quite Good Yet
Sidestory: The World of Comics as the New Millennium Approaches
February 1999: It's Time for some Tactical Espionage Action
March 1999: Reggie's Rare Reminiscence / Crash Bandicoot and Burn
Sidestory: A Siren's Sorrow, and a Fraulein's Foul Frame-up
April 1999: A Smashing Start for Spring / April 22nd is a Day of Doom and Despair
Sidestory: The Kingdom Comes for the Man of Tommorow
May 1999: Dinosaurs, Tornados, Vampires, and Sith Lords, Oh My!
May 1999: The Biggest Entertainment Spectacle outside the Phantom Menace - E3 1999
Sidestory: A Virtual Shakeup of the Power Rangers
June 1999: A Silver Star's Story Retold / An Era when Konami was still Cool with Consoles
Sidestory: A Glimpse into the World of Pop Culture - 1999 Edition
Sidestory: A Foursome's Fair, but not Fantastic, Beginning
July 1999: 3D Platforming with Dogs and Hedgehogs
August 1999: A Tale of Souls and Swords, with the Sixth Gen about to be Forged
September 1999: Sega Shows Off its New Weapon for the Console War, And Yet their forecast is Storm-Filled
Sidestory: Saturn's in the middle of Colliding Universes
October 1999: Gear up for the 8th Fantasy / Sega Seeks someone new to Wield the Katana
Appendix: Voice cast for Final Fantasy VIII / Nintendo Power covers for 1999
Sidestory: A Call for a Rebellion to restore Democracy
November 1999: A Rebellious Squad / A Horror Packed November
Sidestory: The Man of Tomorrow Dies Today - Magog Brings Superman's Doomsday
Sidestory: Sonic the Comic in the 5th Gen Era
December 1999: Operation Stormwind gets a Chilly Reception / Nearing the End of the Kalinske Era
1999: Looking back... as the 90s come to an end...
1999: The Original Games of this Timeline
2000 - Y2Katana: Dawn of the Sixth Generation
Janurary 2000: A Colorful Start to the Year 2000
Sidestory: In the World of Animation, Commander Keen Goes Where no Mascot has Gone Before
February 2000: February First Person Showdown, Brought to you by Acclaim / Enix is at a Crossroads, Again
March 2000: A Nova Power now in Everyone's Hands / Capcom Sequel Stagnation
April 2000: Velvet Dark is almost Perfect / Exit Tom Kalinske, Enter Reggie Fils-Ame
May 2000: A Shocking Swerve Leads to a Sudden Death - Tragedy Strikes Nintendo
May 2000: In Memory of Miyamoto, Marking the End of An Era, and the Beginning of a New One - E3 2000
Does Sega see the worth of backwards compatibility between the Saturn and the Katana?
Final Fantasy Soldier... you know I don't think we got to know much about the original games on this timeline's Game Boy Color.
And the note of big challenge facing Nintendo, altering its creative endeavors...
A major Nintendo figure is going to die, isn't it?
Table of Contents
1991 - 1998
1999 - Nearing the End of the Millennium
January 1999: Down from the Holiday Highs / Sega's Horoscope isn't Quite Good Yet
Sidestory: The World of Comics as the New Millennium Approaches
February 1999: It's Time for some Tactical Espionage Action
March 1999: Reggie's Rare Reminiscence / Crash Bandicoot and Burn
Sidestory: A Siren's Sorrow, and a Fraulein's Foul Frame-up
April 1999: A Smashing Start for Spring / April 22nd is a Day of Doom and Despair
Sidestory: The Kingdom Comes for the Man of Tommorow
May 1999: Dinosaurs, Tornados, Vampires, and Sith Lords, Oh My!
May 1999: The Biggest Entertainment Spectacle outside the Phantom Menace - E3 1999
Sidestory: A Virtual Shakeup of the Power Rangers
June 1999: A Silver Star's Story Retold / An Era when Konami was still Cool with Consoles
Sidestory: A Glimpse into the World of Pop Culture - 1999 Edition
Sidestory: A Foursome's Fair, but not Fantastic, Beginning
July 1999: 3D Platforming with Dogs and Hedgehogs
August 1999: A Tale of Souls and Swords, with the Sixth Gen about to be Forged
September 1999: Sega Shows Off its New Weapon for the Console War, And Yet their forecast is Storm-Filled
Sidestory: Saturn's in the middle of Colliding Universes
October 1999: Gear up for the 8th Fantasy / Sega Seeks someone new to Wield the Katana
Appendix: Voice cast for Final Fantasy VIII / Nintendo Power covers for 1999
Sidestory: A Call for a Rebellion to restore Democracy
November 1999: A Rebellious Squad / A Horror Packed November
Sidestory: The Man of Tomorrow Dies Today - Magog Brings Superman's Doomsday
Sidestory: Sonic the Comic in the 5th Gen Era
December 1999: Operation Stormwind gets a Chilly Reception / Nearing the End of the Kalinske Era
1999: Looking back... as the 90s come to an end...
1999: The Original Games of this Timeline
2000 - Y2Katana: Dawn of the Sixth Generation
Janurary 2000: A Colorful Start to the Year 2000
Sidestory: In the World of Animation, Commander Keen Goes Where no Mascot has Gone Before
February 2000: February First Person Showdown, Brought to you by Acclaim / Enix is at a Crossroads, Again
March 2000: A Nova Power now in Everyone's Hands / Capcom Sequel Stagnation
April 2000: Velvet Dark is almost Perfect / Exit Tom Kalinske, Enter Reggie Fils-Ame
May 2000: A Shocking Swerve Leads to a Sudden Death - Tragedy Strikes Nintendo
May 2000: In Memory of Miyamoto, Marking the End of An Era, and the Beginning of a New One - E3 2000
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1999's Original Games
The Sun Microsystems connection with Sega was the idea of our reader Electric Monk, we'll reveal more details as the year 2000 goes on!
As for backwards compatibility with the Saturn, we'll definitely see about it...at the very least, the Katana will be able to play CDs.
Final Fantasy Soldier is a sort of Shining Force-like game, somewhat basic in terms of gameplay and graphics but with a memorable original score. It's nothing remarkable but with the GBC's 1999 lineup so spartan, it does pretty well.
Here's the list of 1999's original franchise games!
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Ultra Nintendo:
Dog Dash 3: Clark, Woofle, and Selkie return in this fully 3-D action platformer. Selkie's family has found a new home, but they soon discover that this world is ruled by a cat army led by the evil conqueror General Catsmeow. The heroes must work together to stop him as they traverse eight huge worlds, completing missions and defeating Catsmeow's soldiers. The leap to 3-D is well received, and this is one of the most acclaimed and lucrative sequels of the year.
Squad Four: Rebellion: Squad Four is living a peaceful life on Lockstar, going on the occasional mission, but their world is thrown upside down after a military coup sees the four of them thrown in prison as traitors! The squad must escape from prison and then lead the rebellion to liberate Lockstar before the entire system's civilization falls under a terrible dictatorship. This game is considered by many to be the best in the series and one of the top games of the year.
The Darkest Night: Etienne and Kris return, teaming up with a mysterious new girl named Sephora to find an artifact containing incredible power. The game's transition to the next generation comes with fully voiced cutscenes and is generally better received than the first game.
Samurai Buster II: Matsuhito returns in a new quest, seeking revenge for the death of his beloved wife. While this game is good, it's not as good as the previous game, the plot is rather cookie cutter and the bosses aren't as creative. Unlike the first, which was a cult classic, this is remembered as just a decent game.
Boom Island 2: In this sequel, the young pirate from the original game returns to explore a mysterious new continent. This game gets below average to average reviews, it's considered a major disappointment compared to the first game, not innovating and looking stale next to other, more well regarded 3D platformers.
Return To Serratopia: This sequel sees Serratopia's heroes returning for a new quest through 32 new levels. This game is even more difficult than the original, which makes it one of the Ultra Nintendo's toughest games. It's a polarizing game, but there are many who love it and overall it's only slightly lower in review scores than the original game.
Construct-It: Demolition: In this sequel to Construct-It, you're now up against a rival crew who specializes in demolishing your structures, this game features a multiplayer mode where you can knock down your opponents' buildings after spending a certain amount of time building up your own. It's a good game, though not quite as good as the original.
Ultra Spinout 2: This quickie sequel to 1998's Ultra Spinout is more of the same, arcade style racing with creative tracks and good music. It's not groundbreaking in any way, but fans of the first game aren't disappointed.
Deathblow II: The highly anticipated, ultra violent sequel to 1997's launch title. It's one of the most anticipated fighting games of the year, and though it's no Soul Caliber, it's still pretty well reviewed and gets a lot of sales.
Ultra Klepto: The thieving puzzle franchise comes to the Ultra with a brand new multiplayer mode and 3-D stages. It's not a huge step up from the SNES-CD titles but it's a pretty decent game.
Syrielle Soul: The sequel to 1997's Syrielle, this game continues Syrielle's story with all new friends and more of a simulation feel, there are less action parts, and those that remain play out more like an action RPG than an action platformer. It's a bit polarizing, but fans of the original Syrielle are very pleased and it gets high reviews.
Ultra Deadman Sam: Deadman Sam comes to the Ultra Nintendo with a brand new adventure in full 3-D. The transition to 3-D is fairly rough for this series, this game receives only mediocre reviews, though future series installments find their footing.
Andrekah: Witches Brew: The first proper Andrekah sequel since 1995's game, this plays a bit like the Mega Man Legends to Andrekah's Mega Man, with full 3-D exploration and RPG-like adventuring and character advancement. The game follows Andrekah as she tries to become a Master Witch, and she gets a dangerous, bratty rival. It's considered a very good game, possibly even better than the original, though sales are only average.
Five For Fighting Hockey '99: The brawler/hockey series comes to the Ultra with this arcade-style game. It's decent, but true hockey fans look elsewhere.
Soulqueen 2: The Beyond: The SNES cult classic gets a sequel, this one released in 1998 in Japan and was an ordeal for fans to get ported over finally in 1999. Despite this being an excellent game, sales are VERY poor.
Ultra Naval Guns: The naval battle series comes to the Ultra and despite some nice graphics, the gameplay isn't as good as the original and the poor sales of this game kill the series.
Steam Agent II: The sequel to the SNES-CD steampunk RPG is fairly primitive in terms of graphics and features an all new hero, this is sort of a mystery-based adventure and though retro style RPG fans enjoy it, it's only a mediocre game.
Hacker Jack: Hack Attack!: Hacker Jack goes futuristic in this Ultra Nintendo game that puts the young hero in a fully 3-D cyberspace world. This is another series that doesn't really handle the transition to 3D very well, even the graphics are lousy and sales and reviews are fairly poor.
Operation Zero 2: This sequel to the Saturn/Ultra game is also ported to both systems. It stars an ex-military mercenary who must save hostages from a brutal prison camp, but things aren't what they seem at first. In a year where Metal Gear Solid is the overwhelming champion in the genre, this game slips under the radar a bit but is quite good and manages to get a decent amount of sales, especially on the Saturn.
Ultra World Championship Boxing: This boxing game gets its first next-generation installment, keeping a very robust creation mode and also featuring a Rocky-like story mode. In the absence of Punch-Out for the Ultra, this game achieves a lot of success and some pretty good reviews as well.
Super Sphere Soldier: The sequel to one of 1998's best SNES-CD games, this retains the great 2-D platforming gameplay of the original, with challenging bosses and a huge variety of weapons and attacks. Though it doesn't sell many copies, those who buy it love it and it's considered one of the Ultra's best 2-D platformers.
Extreme Go-Karting 2: The sequel to the SNES-CD's wacky go karting title, this game again draws lots of comparisons to Ultra Mario Kart, none of them good. This game sells very poorly.
Trapmine: An Ultra Nintendo sequel to the SNES-CD game of laying hidden traps to blow up your opponents, it's considered to be a decent game and the 3-D arenas are a welcome touch.
Runner Mike: Created by Dan Brown (yes, THAT Dan Brown, of Da Vinci Code fame) this is a Tomb Raider-like mystery adventure game that's almost comparable to a proto-Uncharted, with plenty of mysteries, high quality cutscenes, and lots of action. Though it's not one of the year's BEST games, reviews and sales are both quite good and this becomes a franchise.
Cyringe: An anime-styled 2D platformer about a nurse who wields an oversized syringe. The game is full of tongue-in-cheek humor and lots of fanservice, but it's really fun and becomes an instant cult classic. It's way more popular in Japan than it is here though.
Outfoxed: A 3D platformer by Konami about a tall anthropomorphic fox who explores a series of worlds in order to collect magical orbs and save his friends. A lighthearted game in contrast to Konami's gritty Metal Gear Solid, it becomes one of the year's top action games and a new franchise for the company.
Welcome To Magicka: A fantasy-based 3D platformer with a collection element that powers up your character rather than opens up new worlds, it's a sort of platformer/adventure game hybrid and is compared with games like The Dreamers and Andrekah. It's developed by a new company and published by Ubisoft, becoming probably their biggest game of the year, even topping Rayman 2.
Undefeated: This 3D platformer is about a boxer who has to avoid some comical gangsters after he refuses to throw a match. It's a parody of boxing and mob movies as much as it is a platformer, and becomes known for some really quirky humor. It's not the best action game of the year but it's really enjoyable to play.
Screampuff: A horror-based 3D platformer about a cute bunny rabbit exploring a world of comical horror monsters like evil pumpkins and skeletons. A fairly average game but sells decently amongst kids.
Goat Gruff Bluff: A 3D platformer taking place on a series of mountains, you're a goat who has to rescue his friends and fight enemies along the way. Certainly not a BAD game but there's not much to distinguish it from others in its genre.
Candyworld: A lighthearted 3D platformer taking place in a world full of candy and sweets. It's an extremely kiddy game but the gameplay is solid.
Bill's Escape: A really glitchy platformer about a very skinny man named Bill who has to avoid monsters and prison guards. Designed by a startup game company, it's their first and only game for the Ultra Nintendo.
Supermarket Survival: A 3D platformer taking place in a supermarket. It's the equivalent to video games what the movie Foodfight was IOTL. Extremely bad.
Night Of The Bats: You play as an exterminator in this 3D platformer, clearing out enormous swarms of bats from various buildings. While the game is intended to start a new franchise and features some decent production values, the gameplay is extremely monotonous and reviews are poor to average.
Dead Midnight: A third-person shooter somewhat similar to Syphon Filter, Dead Midnight centers around a group of special operations agents who are trying to hunt down a rogue cell of foreign operatives conducting secret missions in American cities. The game gets good reviews for its tight gameplay and complex storyline.
Black Rogue: A stylish third person shooter featuring a young female agent. While the action is rather fast-paced, the graphics are somewhat poor and there are numerous glitches, condemning the game to mediocre reviews.
Rock: A third person shooter set in a desolate mountain area, about a tourist caught up in a bad situation where he ends up dodging gunfire and terrorists and must protect his girlfriend. The game is known for its rather poor gameplay and cliched storyline, and is poorly received with mediocre sales.
The Shining Stones: A fairly cliché action-RPG with two young protagonists hunting down five stones across six different lands. Not a terrible game but really not a standout in its genre.
Weyricht: A medieval themed Squaresoft action-RPG about a holy warrior who discovers an ancient conspiracy. Contains numerous real life locations, many of them in medieval Germany. The game is hyped a bit just for being a Squaresoft game and while reviews are good, it's more of a cult classic than anything.
Silverwing: An adventure game about a young boy with a magical set of wings that allow him to fly from place to place, he must find ancient treasures while avoiding the evil people who want to steal his wings. With good reviews, it's compared somewhat to Temple of Time, it's nowhere near as good as that game but is viewed favorably by players.
White Mountain Extreme Snowboarding: A snowboarding game that's somewhat more realistic than 1080 snowboarding, it follows up the late 90s snowboarding craze with tricks and races, it plays somewhat similarly to the Tony Hawk Skateboarding game and is considered by some to be the best snowboarding game ever made.
Hakendo: A 2-D fighting game made by Konami, featuring a fairly large cast and some great graphics, it's one of the most popular arcade games of the year and the port to the Ultra gets a very good reception.
House Of Five Leaves: A fighting game that's about as average as can be, no characters really stand out and the gameplay is extremely generic.
Slamfist: A fighting game known for its glitchy gameplay and cheap AI, while the graphics are decent, it's mostly ignored in favor of the year's other fighting game hits.
Brigadier: A World War I-era FPS about an American doughboy in the latter stages of the war. The game is compared in many ways to Medal of Honor and though it becomes fairly obscure later on, it's a well reviewed game with decent sales.
Under The Earth: An FPS about a man caught in a war with demonic forces, it's seen as largely another Doom clone and with bad graphics and lots of glitches, it gets trashed in reviews.
Emergency: A big-budget horror game from Sony, it takes place in a huge hospital under siege from a mysterious infection. You play as a doctor who must help as many survivors as he can and survive to escape the hospital. It competes with Silent Hill for the title of best horror game of the year and also with Metal Gear Solid and Squad Four: Rebellion as one of the best Ultra Nintendo exclusives.
When The Sun Sets: A horror/shooter hybrid about a teenager who is caught in town during an outbreak of vampirism. Gleaning a lot of its humor from Buffy, it’s not a very serious game by any means, and becomes somewhat of a cult classic for its fast-paced gameplay and tongue-in-cheek dialogue.
Felidae: A game about a worldwide mutation that causes cats to turn into terrible monsters. It’s a way over the top horror game and it’s not considered to be very good, though some of the cat monsters have very creative designs.
Rise A Knight: A Western-style RPG somewhat inspired by The Witcher and also a counter to Saturn’s Ultima series, it’s the first console-exclusive original western RPG to be a major hit. It takes place in medieval times as your protagonist seeks to become a knight by saving the kingdom from a variety of foes and monsters. With a big world to explore and a fun combat system, it gets great reviews and sells lots of copies.
Second Nature: Second Nature is this TL’s version of Aidyn Chronicles, with a completely different plot and more of a western-style exploration/combat system. It’s considered a completely average game and does poorly compared to Rise A Knight.
Primrose Soldier: An RPG by Konami that is probably their second or third most hyped game of 1999 behind Metal Gear Solid and maybe Silent Hill. The game is a modern day RPG somewhat like Final Fantasy VII, about a young special ops soldier in training who meets a woman who is able to transform herself into flower petals and move freely into and out of buildings. The game revolves around the clash between technology and magic and is a top contender for RPG of the year behind Final Fantasy VIII, the game is the best-selling non-Final Fantasy RPG since Parasite Eve.
Academy: A Squaresoft RPG about six students at a prestigious magic academy, though the game isn't a sequel to Live-a-Live it shares some similarities and is arguably a spiritual successor. It's considered a good game but it's not nearly as big as Final Fantasy VIII.
Tarot: An RPG revolving around the mythology of tarot cards, it's a strange RPG featuring a weird fighting system and some rather primitive graphics. A somewhat polarizing game, it gets slightly above average reviews, is loved by a few players but disliked by many more.
Kabuki Ballerina: A very quirky JRPG revolving around dancing girls, it's really fanservicey and isn't all that popular, even among anime fans. It gets average reviews and has very low sales.
Explorers Of Badun: An American-made JRPG, it's an extremely basic game with simple graphics, somewhat like the launch game Ultra Adventurers. It's decent enough, but most RPG fans stay away from it as there's not much special to note about the game.
Multiplicator: A puzzle game where you have to multiply your character avatar as much as you can by collecting items. You can have hundreds of guys on screen at once, though they all respond to your controls at the same time and you have to protect them from hazards. Most notable for its four player competitive mode, it's a fairly fun game and praised for its fast paced gameplay and zany, hilarious graphics.
Blinkin' Blocks: A puzzle game where you have to push a variety of blocks into position depending on how they're lit up at the time. The controls are really clunky, as the game is basically a 3-D action game with this puzzle element and floating enemies make it really tough. The game is poorly reviewed.
Skater Street: A skateboard racing game on a variety of street courses. The controls are pretty good but there aren't many skaters or courses and it's considered just an average game.
In The Dust: A dirt track racing game with tricked out cars. This game gets a bit of hype before release, but is a bit of a disappointment due to rather loose controls and some shoddy presentation.
Motocycle GT: A motorcycle racing game that initially claims to do for motorcycle racing what Gran Turismo did for car racing. In reality, the game is a hideous mess and one of the worst games of the year, plagued by technical glitches and cookie cutter courses, and becomes a notable flop.
Supercar World Circuit: A sort of Gran Turismo-rival game that revolves less around collectibles and more around racing leagues, including a massive 18-race season involving tracks around the world and a variety of true to life cars. Though it's not the transcendent game that Gran Turismo was, it's considered one of the best racing titles of the year.
Starblade: An RPG about a group of heroes attempting to find the legendary sword, Starblade. It's a very bad translation of an already mediocre JRPG and is a complete sales flop.
Campaign: An RTS where you select one of ten nations and conduct a huge military campaign, the maps and units are procedurally generated, making for a different experience every time. Though the gameplay itself isn't good enough to make this a truly great title like Starcraft, it does get lots of praise for innovation.
Invasion: 2031: An RTS where you have to repel an alien invasion. Though the plot is fairly uninspired, there are some aspects to the gameplay that get some praise, and at the very least, it sells decently.
Hell Freezes Over: An RTS about a battle between ice golems and fire demons that is widely bashed for unimaginative gameplay, crappy maps, and technical glitches.
Codename: Siren: A third person stealth game about an amnesiac special agent trying to protect her country while trying to piece together her past. Though the plot starts out as somewhat cliché, it takes some very big twists and turns later on and the game ends up becoming known as one of the best stealth titles of the year.
Days Of War: A stealth title about an army spy who has to infiltrate the enemy bases and assassinate their leaders, he begins to have second thoughts about his mission and ends up being pursued by his own army. Though the storyline is praised, the gameplay itself drags the game down somewhat.
Killsight: A stealth game revolving around sniping, the game optionally comes with a sniper rifle lightgun in a VERY expensive pack-in package, the deluxe package and the vanilla game both do underwhelmingly in sales due to short missions and rather clunky gameplay.
Lorelai: Glorious Reminiscence: A tactical RPG by Koei, chronicling an ancient kingdom forced to battle enemies on all sides. Known for its unique battle system that sets it apart from games like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, it's very well received among fans of the genre and is probably Koei's best game of 1999.
Sega Saturn:
Zodiac World: A 3-D platformer/adventure game about a young hero who must traverse the world, gathering up 12 Zodiac Stones to battle an ancient evil. This is one of the bigger Sega releases of the year and sells better than any Saturn platformer since Sonic 4.
Duelists: Swift Strike: A fighting game where young brawlers battle for honor and glory. Made by Sega, the game features somewhat smoother fighting than Virtua Fighter and is intended to be a more stylistic, story-focused game. It doesn't reach the popularity of Virtua Fighter but it's still quite well received.
Imprisoned: A horror game where your character, one of five possible protagonists, wakes up in a cell, held captive by a sadistic mastermind, and must find their way out, either escaping on their own or choosing to rescue others along the way. One of the year's most brutal games, but is well reviewed.
Chaos City: A Rockstar beat-em-up with some open exploration, it's not nearly as freeform as the Race'n'Chase games but is considered a breath of fresh air in the genre and gets some notoriety for its violence and humor.
Solitary Kiss: A VERY anime-styled JRPG featuring mostly female protagonists and lots of cutscenes, it's one of the most otaku-friendly RPGs ever made, and is quite a difficult game, but very rewarding once the player learns its mechanics. The very definition of a niche cult classic, it sells a bit better than expected in North America and is an enormous hit in Japan.
Infernal: Dark Reality: A gothic-styled JRPG where you're a priest out to slay a myriad of demonic beasts, it has an action-based battle system and is another popular niche title.
Antopolis: A 3D platformer where you're an anthropomorphic ant, you start out as a lowly drone but when a terrible threat comes to your colony, you rise above your station to defend your friends and the queen. Quite a popular game among younger players, especially with A Bug's Life having been released the year before.
Fleet: A Dancing Adventure: An RPG where you perform your moves by timing your button presses and then your characters dance before striking the enemy. A quirky game known for having outstanding music, it's not the best RPG but it does have plenty of fans for its unique battle system.
Rhythmostar: A more conventional rhythm/dancing game somewhat like Spice World but much more robust, the game even includes a dance pad and is the precursor to games like Dance Dance Revolution and Samba De Amigo, both of which appear in 2000 on the system.
Spirit Of Exploration: An adventure game where the protagonist explores deeper and deeper into a series of mysterious games, the game's puzzles and graphics receive particular praise.
Phoenix Run: A futuristic racing game that takes place on extremely fast, hovering cars, while the game is compared to the Ultra's F-Zero game, it's somewhat of a more serious, straight-forward racer with very little in the way of plot, the game is also somewhat easier.
NYPD: Narcotics Squad: This game puts you in the shoes of an NYPD officer who has to hunt down a dangerous drug lord while training a young rookie. The gritty storyline of the game and its excellent gameplay make it one of the more popular games of the year on the Saturn and a much more realistic and complex take on Virtua Cop.
The Wilderness: This is a horror game about a girl who is lost in the woods with her friends and must survive as one by one, her friends are picked off by the terrifying creatures dwelling there. Though the game is a bit cliché, it does have some camp factor that makes it a bit of a cult classic.
They Call Him Mr. Frog: A platformer about an anthropomorphic tuxedo wearing frog who gets into all sorts of antics, the leaping physics are really good even though the game is mostly a play by numbers platformer.
Spinaround: A strange shooter game where the player rotates the field of play in order to fire at enemies and objects to build up combos. Has both a story mode, a high score mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode and is considered one of the better shooter games on the Saturn.
Battleborn: A third person shooter about a futuristic war against a terrifying alien foe, developed jointly by Sega and Treasure. A sort of more gritty version of OTL's Sin and Punishment, it does extremely well in both reviews and sales.
Awesome update! Nice cap to the year/decade.
It's still sad that Tom doesn't get more than a "Thanks, now bye.", after all his hard work; but I think this Reggie guy sounds like exactly the man to take his place! His attitude is very SEGA!
It's still sad that Tom doesn't get more than a "Thanks, now bye.", after all his hard work; but I think this Reggie guy sounds like exactly the man to take his place! His attitude is very SEGA!
I think the exact words were "unexpected challenge", Sony might decide they don't need Nintendo and make their own system. Or it could just mean that the MS Xbox does better than everyone ITTL seems to think it will; or the Katana takes the world by storm and leaves Son-tendo completely flat-footed.Golden Darkness said:
You now, that bit about RTS got me thinking: what is the status of Paradox Interactive going into the future?
The only thing worse than no FMA, is no EU4, or even any Europa Universalis games.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Universalis
Bringing this back, as the new millennium has come.
(And yes, I know it got a 2001 release. But, it's a rather great time.
)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Universalis
Bringing this back, as the new millennium has come.
(And yes, I know it got a 2001 release. But, it's a rather great time.
PC games is hards to account butterflies but as paradox is swedish and too pc centric is pretty easy they will keep as otl i think, so not major changes unless RY have something account for those guys.
Part of me wants to see Son-tendo and Microsoft go at it while Sega moves in to pick up the pieces. (j/k
)That would be interesting to see if Sony decides to pull out, but I don't think they would since the partnership has been very profitable for both companies. There may be a slight chance they may, I mean, they almost split over the Ultra and things may get tense after the Katana and the X-Box hit, especially in the case of the later. If I had to estimate a release date, it would have to be 2002/3 and the Ultra will probably see a noticeable decline in sales come 2001. With Microsoft throwing its hat in the ring (no Saturn pun intended) and its resources, Sony and Nintendo will probably be feeling the pressure. So will Sega, but Son-tendo has more to lose especially if Microsoft eats into its market share with a declining Ultra.
Interesting so which console did you own? this point is when that become a little trick question but still would nice to know it.
Could we see a more thorough write-up for this timeline's equivalent to Silent Hill 2? Not to mention how the town seemingly being still inhabited affects the game. Does the game switch between a mystery in the inhabited real world and monster fighting in the abandoned Other World? I only ask because the description of the first game was so short. Plus with the franchise diverging basically from the beginning there'd be more to cover as the series goes on.
Part of me wants to see Son-tendo and Microsoft go at it while Sega moves in to pick up the pieces. (j/k
That would be interesting to see if Sony decides to pull out, but I don't think they would since the partnership has been very profitable for both companies. There may be a slight chance they may, I mean, they almost split over the Ultra and things may get tense after the Katana and the X-Box hit, especially in the case of the later. If I had to estimate a release date, it would have to be 2002/3 and the Ultra will probably see a noticeable decline in sales come 2001. With Microsoft throwing its hat in the ring (no Saturn pun intended) and its resources, Sony and Nintendo will probably be feeling the pressure. So will Sega, but Son-tendo has more to lose especially if Microsoft eats into its market share with a declining Ultra.
It states though:
I don't think a new competitor or a more resurgent Sega would be enough to cause Nintendo to revise their creative direction, which would end up being a defining moment of video game history of this timeline.
Nintendo probably expects new competitors. This has to be something really unexpected for Nintendo, something for a notoriously conservative company to shift directions. The sudden death of one of their veteran designers is quite the possibility. The timeline may have spared the creator of the Game Boy for now, but it does not mean anyone else is spared.
For the sake of speculation, whose unexpected death would could enough of a ripple? Shigeru Miyamoto comes to mind as a possibility given his sheer influence on Nintendo's creative input. Hiroshi Yamauchi could be one too despite not being a designer.
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