1993 in video games

1993 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Star Fox, Virtua Fighter and Ridge Racer.

List of years in video games

Events
  • March – In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super Play (SP) starts. The original name is Super Power.
  • Nintendo and Silicon Graphics collaborate and begin work on "Project Reality". The project is officially announced in October.[1]
  • The first of two congressional hearings on video games takes place on December 7. 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.

Business

Notable releases

Arcade
Date Title Dev. / Pub. Notes
April Mortal Kombat II Midway "Mortal Kombat II proved to be an enormous commercial success and even a cultural phenomenon. WMS Industries, owner of Midway at the time, reported its 1993 sales in the quarter ending December 31 rose to $101 million from $86 million and said much of its revenue gain was related to the sale of the arcade version of MKII [2]"
July Samurai Shodown SNK '93 Game Of The Year voted on by Electronic Gaming Monthly[3]
August Daytona USA Sega Becomes one of the world's most impactful racing games of all time, and "won't go away[4]"
October Ridge Racer Namco -
November Virtua Fighter Sega "Is often cited as being the first fully 3D fighting game released to the general public, and is a basis for almost all subsequent games in the genre[5] "
December NBA Jam Midway Being one of the first sports games with official licensed teams and players, it became a cult classic. It was also the highest-earning arcade game of all time.[6]

Home
Date Title Dev. / Pub. Platform Notes
February X-Wing LucasArts PC -
February Star Fox Nintendo SNES The first game to use the new Super FX chip
March Kirby's Adventure Nintendo NES Introduced Kirby's ability to take on the powers of enemies he has eaten, which would go on to become a staple of the franchise. First appearance of Meta Knight.
April The 7th Guest Virgin Interactive PC Sold over two million copies and was widely regarded as one of three "killer apps" that accelerated the sales of CD-ROM drives (other two being Myst & Doom[7] [page 129]). Bill Gates also called The 7th Guest "the new standard in interactive entertainment"
June Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle LucasArts PC -
June The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Nintendo Game Boy
June Syndicate Electronic Arts PC -
July Super Mario All-Stars Nintendo SNES Featured upgraded 16-bit versions of the first four Super Mario games. Also Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels makes its debut in the Western region.
August Secret of Mana Square SNES Second action role-playing game after Final Fantasy Adventure
August Return to Zork Activision PC -
September Master of Orion MicroProse PC -
September Sonic CD Sega Sega CD First appearance of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic to the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
September Myst Broderbund PC One of 1993's key games, with many interesting facts[8] including that (until The Sims took the top spot with 6.3 million games sold in 2002) Myst was the best-selling PC title on record, with 6 million units sold since its launch. To date, the franchise has sold over 12 million units.
November Sam & Max Hit the Road LucasArts PC -
November Illusion of Gaia Quintet SNES -
November Mega Man 6 Capcom NES -
November Disney's Aladdin Virgin Genesis Crowned "Genesis Game of The Year" at the Electronic Gaming Awards (aka the Arcade Awards aka the Arkies) voted on by the public[3]
November ClayFighter Nintendo SNES Thought of as a parody of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but actually wasn't, and was re-released to the Wii.
November Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball Sega Genesis -
December Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers Sierra PC -
December Doom Id Software PC Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential games of all time, especially in the first-person-shooter genre.
December Mega Man X Capcom SNES -

Hardware

Sales

Highest-selling console and handheld titles according to Babbage's

Babbage's, an American video game retailer, released an Electronic Gaming Monthly-exclusive monthly list of the chain's highest-selling console and handheld titles.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Highest-selling NES titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Tetris Nintendo Puzzle 11 #3
Tecmo Super Bowl Tecmo Sports (American football) 10 #1
Dragon Quest IV Enix Role-playing 10 #2
Tecmo NBA Basketball Tecmo Sports (basketball) 9 #1
Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Platform 9 #3
Kirby's Adventure Nintendo Platform 7 #1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project Konami Beat 'em up 7 #2
Jurassic Park Ocean Software Action-adventure 5 #1
Super Mario Bros. 2 Nintendo Platform 5 #5
Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland Konami Platform 5 #4
Highest-selling SNES titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Capcom Fighting 7 #1
Star Fox Nintendo Rail shooter 6 #1
Super Mario Kart Nintendo Kart racing 6 #2
Mortal Kombat Acclaim Entertainment Fighting 4 #1
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Capcom Fighting 4 #1
Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind Accolade Platform 4 #2
Super Star Wars JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment Run and gun 4 #3
Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs Electronic Arts Sports (basketball) 3 #1
Batman Returns Konami Beat 'em up 3 #2
Mario Is Missing! The Software Toolworks Educational 3 #2
Highest-selling Sega Genesis titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
PGA Tour Golf II Electronic Arts Sports (golf) 8 #1
Road Rash II Electronic Arts Racing 7 #4
NHLPA Hockey '93 Electronic Arts Sports (ice hockey) 6 #2
X-Men Sega Action 5 #1
HardBall III Accolade Sports (baseball) 5 #5
Mortal Kombat Acclaim Entertainment Fighting 4 #1
R.B.I. Baseball '93 Tengen Sports (baseball) 4 #3
Tony La Russa Baseball Electronic Arts Sports (baseball) 4 #2
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition Capcom Fighting 4 #2
Bill Walsh College Football Electronic Arts Sports (American football) 4 #3
Highest-selling Sega CD titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Night Trap Sega Interactive movie 10 #2
Road Blaster Renovation Products Interactive movie 9 #1
Sewer Shark Sony Imagesoft Rail shooter 7 #4
Jaguar XJ220 Core Design Racing 6 #1
The Adventures of Willy Beamish Sierra Entertainment Adventure 6 #1
Batman Returns Sega Action-adventure 5 #1
Final Fight Sega Beat 'em up 5 #1
Time Gal Renovation Products Interactive movie 5 #2
After Burner III Sega Shoot 'em up 5 #4
Black Hole Assault Micronet co., Ltd. Fighting 5 #7
Highest-selling Game Boy titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Nintendo Platform 12 #1
Super Mario Land Nintendo Platform 12 #2
Kirby's Dream Land Nintendo Platform 11 #1
NBA All-Star Challenge LJN Sports (basketball) 10 #4
Tetris Nintendo Puzzle 9 #5
Golf Nintendo Sports (golf) 7 #4
Yoshi's Cookie Nintendo Puzzle 6 #3
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Nintendo Action-adventure 5 #1
Yoshi Nintendo Puzzle 5 #4
Baseball Nintendo Sports (baseball) 5 #7
Highest-selling Game Gear titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sega Platform 9 #1
Columns Sega Puzzle 7 #1
Taz-Mania Sega Platform 7 #2
Streets of Rage Sega Beat 'em up 7 #2
Batman Returns Sega Platform 7 #3
The Majors: Pro Baseball Sega Sports (baseball) 6 #4
Tom and Jerry: The Movie Sega Platform 6 #1
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Sega Platform 6 #2
Defenders of Oasis Sega Role-playing 5 #4
Prince of Persia Tengen Platform 5 #7

Highest-renting console titles according to Blockbuster Video

Blockbuster Video, an American chain of video rental shops, released a GamePro-exclusive monthly list of the chain's highest-renting console titles.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

Highest-renting NES titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Tecmo NBA Basketball Tecmo Sports (basketball) 12 #1
Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland Konami Platform 6 #1
Mega Man 5 Capcom Platform 6 #2
Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six LJN Action-adventure 6 #2
Battletoads/Double Dragon Nintendo Beat 'em up 6 #4
Kirby's Adventure Nintendo Platform 5 #1
Jurassic Park Ocean Software Action-adventure 5 #1
Tecmo Super Bowl Tecmo Sports (American football) 5 #1
Home Alone 2 THQ Action 5 #3
The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man Acclaim Entertainment Platform 5 #4
Highest-renting SNES titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs Electronic Arts Sports (basketball) 7 #4
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting Capcom Fighting 5 #1
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Capcom Fighting 5 #6
WWF Royal Rumble Acclaim Entertainment Fighting 4 #2
Super Star Wars JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment Run and gun 4 #1
Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge LJN Action-adventure 4 #1
Tecmo Super NBA Basketball Tecmo Sports (basketball) 4 #1
Star Fox Nintendo Rail shooter 4 #1
Road Runner's Death Valley Rally Sunsoft Platform 4 #2
Mortal Kombat Acclaim Entertainment Fighting 3 #1
Highest-renting Sega Genesis titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
X-Men Sega Action 8 #1
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters Sega Fighting 6 #2
Road Rash II Electronic Arts Racing 6 #7
Streets of Rage 2 Sega Beat 'em up 5 #3
Cool Spot Virgin Interactive Platform 4 #2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sega Platform 4 #1
Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs Electronic Arts Sports (basketball) 4 #3
Flashback U.S. Gold Platform 4 #2
R.B.I. Baseball '93 Tengen Sports (baseball) 4 #4
Mortal Kombat Acclaim Entertainment Fighting 3 #1
Highest-renting Sega CD titles of 1993
TitlePublisherGenre(s)# of charting monthsPeak position
Batman Returns Sega Action-adventure 4 #2
Night Trap Sega Interactive movie 4 #4
Road Blaster Renovation Products Interactive movie 4 #3
Jaguar XJ220 Core Design Racing 4 #5
Final Fight Sega Beat 'em up 3 #1
Sewer Shark Sony Imagesoft Rail shooter 3 #7
Joe Montana Football Sega Sports (American football) 2 #1
Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin Sega Action 2 #2
After Burner III Sega Shoot 'em up 2 #7
Time Gal Renovation Products Interactive movie 2 #7
gollark: Well then I refuse to recognize the Ceramic Wobblers.
gollark: Cult of Diode HQ, it says so.
gollark: Messing with high voltage electronics without much electronics knowledge and experience is probably not a great idea.
gollark: Cult wars.
gollark: Technically at least the giannis and diode cults existed beforehand.

References
  1. O'Leary, Jay (October 1, 1993). "Learning to fly". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  2. "WMS Industries Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter profit rose 6..." tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. List of Game of the Year awards
  4. Freeman, Will (October 6, 2017). "Daytona USA: why the best arcade racing game ever just won't go away". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  5. "Virtua Fighter". Sega Retro. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  6. "NBA Jam". GamePro (56). IDG. March 1994. p. 188.
  7. Wolf, Mark J. P. (2008). The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313338687.
  8. "15 Things You Might Not Know About Myst". April 23, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. March 1993. p. 40.
  10. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. April 1993. p. 40.
  11. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. May 1993. p. 40.
  12. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. June 1993. p. 46.
  13. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. July 1993. p. 42.
  14. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. August 1993. p. 44.
  15. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. September 1993. p. 44.
  16. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. October 1993. p. 50.
  17. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. November 1993. p. 56.
  18. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. December 1993. p. 60.
  19. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. January 1994. p. 58.
  20. "EGM Top Ten" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. February 1994. p. 52.
  21. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. February 1993. p. 192.
  22. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. March 1993. p. 195.
  23. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. April 1993. p. 177.
  24. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. May 1993. p. 142.
  25. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. June 1993. p. 158.
  26. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. July 1993. p. 154.
  27. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. August 1993. p. 145.
  28. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. September 1993. p. 136.
  29. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. October 1993. p. 169.
  30. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. November 1993. p. 262.
  31. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. December 1993. p. 268.
  32. "ProNews Report" (PDF). GamePro. January 1994. p. 260.
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