1994 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy VI, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Virtua Fighter 2 and Doom II, along with new titles such as Daytona USA, Ace Driver, Alpine Racer, The King of Fighters '94 and Tekken.
The year's video game console was the Game Boy, while the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis remained the home console. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Super Street Fighter II X (Super Street Fighter II Turbo) and Virtua Fighter in Japan, and Daytona USA and Mortal Kombat II in the United States, while the year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Donkey Kong Country.
Legend
Hardware releases
Aiwa releases the Aiwa Mega-CD multimedia home console in Japan only. Bandai releases the Playdia multimedia home console. NEC releases the PC-FX multimedia home console. Sega: introduces the North American cable TV Sega Channel in cooperation with Time Warner (AOL Time Warner); the subscription service provides Sega Genesis games via cable box to customers releases the Sega 32X add-on for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in Europe (November 14), North America (November 21) and Japan (December 3) releases the Sega Nomad handheld console in North America, a portable Sega Genesis. releases the Sega Saturn home console in Japan on November 22 SNK releases the Neo Geo CD home console. Sony releases the PlayStation home console in Japan on December 3. Nintendo releases the Super Game Boy adapter for the Super Nintendo home console. Atari Corporation discontinues the Lynx handheld system.
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1994.
Awards Game of the Year Platform Publisher Genre Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) Donkey Kong Country SNES Nintendo Platformer Game Informer Video Games & Computer MagazineTimeNintendo PowerKid's Choice AwardsComputer Gaming World Premier AwardsX-COM: UFO DefenseDOSMicroProseStrategyGameFan MegawardsEarthworm JimGENPlaymates InteractivePlatformerGameFan, volume 3, issue 1 (January 1995), pages 68-75Clockwork KnightSATSega Gamest Awards The King of Fighters '94 Arcade SNK Fighting IAAPA Exhibit Awards Ace Driver Arcade Namco Racing Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) NBA Jam Acclaim Sports (basketball)
Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame The following video game releases in 1994 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.
Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre Score (out of 40) Final Fantasy VI SNES Squaresoft Squaresoft RPG 37 Ridge Racer PS1 Namco Namco Racing 37 Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem) SNES Intelligent Systems Nintendo Tactical RPG 36 Virtua Fighter SAT Sega AM2 Sega Fighting 36
Financial performance
Highest-grossing arcade games The best-selling arcade printed circuit board (PCB) worldwide in 1994 was SNK's Neo Geo MVS system.
Japan The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1994 in Japan.
Rank Gamest alternate url Game MachineTitleManufacturer Title Type Points 1 Super Street Fighter II X: Grand Master ChallengeCapcom Virtua Fighter PCB / Deluxe 2 Virtua FighterSega Super Street Fighter II / X PCB 3 Garō Densetsu Special (Fatal Fury Special)SNK Puyo Puyo PCB 3466 4 Vampire: The Night Warriors (Darkstalkers)Capcom Ridge Racer Deluxe 3265 5 The King of Fighters '94SNK Super Real Mahjong PIV PCB 2909 6 Super Street Fighter IICapcom Shanghai III PCB 2794 7 Gokujo ParodiusKonami Raiden II PCB 2718 8 Ridge RacerNamco Lethal Enforcers Dedicated 2713 9 Daytona USASega Tetris (Sega) PCB 2686 10 Puyo PuyoCompile OutRunners 2P cabinet 2676
United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the highest-grossing games of each month in 1994.
Month Dedicated arcade cabinet Printed circuit board (PCB) FebruaryRidge RacerMarchRidge RacerSuper Street Fighter II TurboAprilMayDaytona USAJuneJulyDaytona USAAugustSeptemberOctoberDaytona USAGunbird Virtua Fighter by Sega AM2 was also one of the UK's most popular coin-ops of the year.
United States In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1994.
Rank Play Meter AAMA AMOA Title Award Dedicated arcade cabinet Arcade conversion kit 1 Daytona USA, Mortal Kombat II Daytona USA (Twin) Cruis'n USA, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat II, Neo Geo MVS Diamond Mortal Kombat II 2 Lethal Enforcers, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, Virtua Fighter NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, Raiden II, Super Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown 3 rowspan="3" 4 5 6 NBA Jam: Tournament Edition Platinum 7 rowspan="3" Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Raiden II, Revolution X Gold colspan="2" rowspan="6" 8 9 10 rowspan="3" Alien vs. Predator, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, Super Street Fighter II Turbo Silver 11 12
Best-selling video game consoles Rank Manufacturer Platform Type Sales Japan USA Europe Elsewhere Worldwide1NintendoGBHandheld1,140,000 7,500,000+2SegaGENHome500,0004,000,000+1,540,0001,000,0007,040,000+3NintendoSNESHome2,200,0001,060,000900,0006,218,0004SegaSCDHome150,000550,000205,000 905,0005SegaGGHandheld350,000500,000+ 850,000+6SegaSATHome840,000 840,0007SegaS32XHome270,000500,00065,000 835,0008Goldstar, Panasonic, Sanyo3DOHome450,000160,00015,0005,000+630,000+9SonyPS1Home600,000 600,00010NintendoNESHome280,000 548,000+
Best-selling home video games The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) worldwide in 1994.
Rank Title Platform Sales Japan USA Worldwide1Donkey Kong Country (Super Donkey Kong)SNES 956,0002,057,0066,000,0002Street Fighter II 941,000+989,178+3,709,090+3Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III)SNES2,550,000+275,9522,825,952+4Mortal Kombat II 1,929,494+2,500,000+5NBA JamGEN, SNES 2,313,5262,313,526+6Sonic 3 & KnucklesGEN 1,473,7301,473,730+7Madden NFL 95GEN, SNES 811,568811,568+8Super MetroidSNES531,000256,262+787,262+9Mighty Morphin Power RangersGEN, SNES 731,910731,910+10J.League Excite Stage '94 (Capcom's Soccer Shootout)SNES714,000 714,000+
Japan In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1994.
Rank Title Platform Publisher Genre Sales 1 Final Fantasy VI SNES Squaresoft RPG 2,550,000+ 2 Super Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country) SNES Nintendo Platformer 956,000 3 Super Street Fighter IISNES Capcom Fighting 941,000 4 J.League Excite Stage '94 (Capcom's Soccer Shootout)SNES Epoch Co. Sports (soccer) 714,000 5 Super Bomberman 2SNES Hudson Soft Maze 713,000 6 Super Momotarō Dentetsu IIISNES Hudson Soft Simulation 610,000 7 Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3SNES Bandai Fighting 595,000 8 Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo (Mystery of the Emblem)SNES Nintendo Tactical RPG 563,000 9 Super MetroidSNES Nintendo Metroidvania 531,000 10 Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū (EarthBound)SNES Nintendo RPG 518,000
United States In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1994.
Rank Title Platform Publisher Genre Sales 1 NBA Jam GEN, SNES Acclaim Entertainment Sports (basketball)2,313,526 2 Donkey Kong Country SNES Nintendo Platformer2,057,0063Mortal Kombat II GEN, SNESAcclaim EntertainmentFighting1,929,494 4 Sonic 3 & Knuckles GEN Sega Platformer1,473,730 5 Street Fighter II GEN, SNES Capcom Fighting989,178+ 6 Madden NFL 95 GEN, SNES EA Sports Sports (football)811,5687Mighty Morphin Power RangersGEN, SNESSega, BandaiAction731,9108The Lion KingGEN, SNESVirgin InteractivePlatformer619,3999NBA Live 95GEN, SNESEA SportsSports (basketball)542,75810Disney's AladdinSNESCapcomPlatformer421,996+
United Kingdom HMV, a British entertainment retailer, released a monthly list of the chain's highest-selling home video game titles. The following titles topped the monthly all-formats charts, as reported by Computer and Video Games.
Month Title PlatformPublisherGenre January Sensible Soccer GENSonySports (soccer) February SimCity 2000 DOS, MACMindscapeCity builder March NBA JamGEN, SNES, GGAcclaimSports (basketball) AprilDoomId SoftwareFPS May World Cup StrikerSNESU.S. GoldSports (soccer) June World Cup USA '94 GEN, SNES, GGU.S. GoldSports (soccer) July Star Wars: TIE FighterVirgin InteractiveSpace combat August Super Street Fighter II GENSegaFighting September Mortal Kombat II SNES, GEN, SMS, GG, GBAcclaimFighting October Doom IIVirgin InteractiveFPS November FIFA Soccer 95 GENEA SportsSports (soccer) December
Events Nintendo proclaims "1994: The Year of the Cartridge". Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia. "Project Reality" is renamed the Nintendo Ultra 64. The console's design is revealed to the public for the first time in spring 1994. The second of two congressional hearings on video games takes place on March 5. Topics for discussion include the depiction of violence and sexual content in video games, their influence on children, and the prospect of governmental regulation of video game content. April – The Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) is founded in response to the hearings (name changed to the Entertainment Software Association in 2003); the IDSA founds the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in order to self-regulate content in video games in the mold of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system. April 28 – Sega and MGM make a venture to create video games, movies, and television programs. June 24 – The Computer Game Developers Association is formed by Ernest W. Adams. November – Game Zero magazine drops their print format and becomes the first video game news magazine on the web. November 10 – William Higinbotham, creator of Tennis for Two (1958), dies at 84.
Business New companies: Neversoft Defunct: Commodore, Tradewest September 14 – Video gaming magazine Nintendomagasinet is cancelled after four years. Number 9 of 1994 would have been released on this day, but instead the magazine joins Super Power. Apogee establishes the 3D Realms Entertainment division. Blizzard Entertainment is renamed from Silicon & Synapse. SSI sold to Mindscape Alpex Computer Corp. v. Nintendo lawsuit: Alpex sues Nintendo over patent infringements related to the NES. Nintendo loses the case. (In 1996 this ruling was reversed by an appeals court, which determined that no patents had been infringed upon.) Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Dragon Pacific Intern
Notable releases in 1994