Now in the '90s (Tribute): January 1995

Welcome to Now in the '90s: Fan-made Blog Post Edition, where we look at the video game releases and major industry events of 30 years ago, today. This month, we look at sequels to two classics in the Action Platformer and Adventure genres, the first 3D Fighting game on the Playstation, a not so beloved 2D Fighting game sequel, and a surprising glimpse into the future of the industry! I'm not your host Jared, this is just a tribute.

Battle Arena Toshinden (PS)(JP, later in 1995 in the US and EU)

Reviews at the time were generally positive, especially from magazines dazzled by the game’s visual style. Famitsu gave it a 30/40. GameFan gushed about the graphics and compared it favorably to Virtua Fighter, calling it "a landmark title for Sony", but did complain about the changed voices and controls in the US release. CVG called it "the best fighting game ever to grace the CVG games room." Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) also praised the 3D environments and stylish presentation but criticized the gameplay depth, ultimately giving it an 81% score on average.

The tagline used in one magazine ad joked "It's actually a roleplaying game. Today you'll be playing the part of the piñata." The piñata part is actually true — you’re gonna be the punching bag in this one, simply because the game doesn't play all that well. Battle Arena Toshinden is remembered more as a tech showcase than a solid fighter. The controls feel stiff, knockback is too exaggerated, the moves are unbalanced, and the AI can be downright frustrating with how much it blocks your moves. But there’s a certain charm in revisiting it, if only to see what impressed us in the early days of 3D gaming, and because of that rocking soundtrack of course. Toshinden may not have had the staying power of Tekken or Soul Edge, but it definitely made an impact and helped establish the PlayStation as a force to be reckoned with in the console market.

Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe (PC)

This is the sequel to the 1993 Point & Click Adventure game by Adventure Soft that few outside of Europe remember, but man, it had charm. It was bizarre, with quirky British humor that appealed to fans of Monty Python, Red Dwarf or Terry Pratchett, and its pixel art graphics were both detailed, vibrant and well animated. In the sequel, you’re thrown into a wacky parallel universe where magic and monsters are real, but there’s also a mix of modern stuff thrown in. Think like… parodies of Discworld and The Chronicles of Narnia, with a splash of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You've also got some real-world nods based on McDonald's and the role-playing board game Dungeons & Dragons. Seeing how the developer had made both a D&D license game much earlier in their career, and a couple of horror-themed dungeon crawler RPGs before renaming and shifting their genre focus, that reference does make sense.

This being a Point & Click Adventure game, you use the mouse to move Simon around the world, interact with characters, and pick up objects. The game relies on an icon system for actions, and as is typical for the genre, it's about talking to characters for hints and clues, then using the right inventory items to solve puzzles. One nice touch to the gameplay is that if one puzzle is proving too difficult, it's usually possible to wander around and try others. At key points in the game, a map lets you zip around between major locations, which makes it easier to navigate and removes the wandering around between locations found in the prequel. The sequel also has a more focused story and progression, with each location serving as one chapter instead of the game giving you access to a ton of locations at once.

The average reception of Simon the Sorcerer II was positive at the time, with about ten magazines worldwide praising it. Critics generally thought the puzzles were solid and the graphics beautiful, but the game’s humor divided people as it had a more mature, sometimes cynical or uncomfortable tone to it. The same can be said for the voice acting, since the popular actor doing Simon's voice (Chris Barrie) was switched out here. Some, like Games World and Power Play (German), loved it, while PC Format thought the humor was hit or miss. It had a bit of a cult following, but it wasn’t exactly getting perfect reviews in most magazines. The Germans seem to have loved it though, and the thoughtful localizations of jokes and references seems to have played a part in that.

The game’s tagline in magazine ads was “Help! The guy with the ridiculous hat is back at it again", and they're showing the box art where Simon is leaning against a wall, with crossed arms and a kind of smug look on his face, while a variety of strange characters are staring at him intently from the sides and behind. This does tell you pretty much exactly what you're getting into. It’s self-aware, and visually it reflects Simon’s personality in the game. He’s pretty obnoxious, but also kind of charming in his own way. Whether or not you find that endearing probably determines if you’re going to enjoy the game or not.

While it doesn't quite recapture the magic of the first game, Simon the Sorcerer II still manages to be a very good sequel, especially if you're a fan of its brand of humor, bizarre puzzles and detailed, expressive pixel art. The start is a bit slow, but this one’s worth sticking with for the long haul. Simon the Sorcerer II sold over half a million copies, about the same as the first. A 25th anniversary edition was developed by MojoTouch and released on Google Play, Amazon Appstore and GOG in 2018.

Stars! (PC)

Ever heard of Stars! for the PC? This 4X turn-based strategy game hit PCs in 1995 as shareware for Windows-based PCs, which, to explain it to younger folks, was like a free demo designed to reel you in for the full game. You'd get it via floppy disks, bulletin board systems, or shareware catalogs at the time.

If you were into managing planets, building fleets, and slowly dominating the galaxy, this was your jam. It wasn’t flashy, but it was deep, letting you design custom alien races and micromanage every little detail of your interstellar empire. It found a hardcore audience and proved that even in an era dominated by console gaming, there was still room for a thoughtful, brainy strategy game. The popularity of Stars! led the developers to start work on a sequel, but publishers approached at the time were focused on console games and high end 3D games, showing little interest.

C2 - Clay Fighter 2: Judgment Clay (SNES)

Not every quirky fighter lands, and C2: Judgment Clay is a prime example. Like the prequel, this game is a side-scrolling brawler featuring... well, clay-animated characters. You’ll control over the top figures like Bad Mr. Frosty and Googoo, duking it out in digitized clay model arenas filled with strange, cartoonish elements. It’s supposed to be fun and funny, but honestly, the visuals are now more unsettling than charming, and the more goofy vibe of the prequel feels more too cool for school here. Every character is wearing a mischievous smile on their face, and the weird animations make you want to go back to pixel art graphics. The fighting mechanics feel scaled back, removing grabs and throws; the controls feel unresponsive, and the whole thing reeks of a rushed cash-in on the popularity of Street Fighter II.

Most of the critics weren’t exactly blown away by C2: Judgment Clay. EGM stated: "In the worst light, Clayfighter 2 seems like an uninspired retread of the original. While C2 is cute and funny, it lacks something.". CVG trashed it: "People want real playability and depth, not unfunny Claymation characters. There's nothing to redeem this game at all.". While giving it a pretty high score, GamePro also called it "just too sticky for some people", comparing it unfavorably to Mortal Kombat II and concluding that it's more for fans of the first game than fighting game fans in general.

While C2: Judgment Clay has some quirky appeal and is far from the disaster that was Rise of the Robots (late 1994), clunky gameplay, less charming graphics and dated attempts at humor really hold it back. It’s a relic of a past era when weird characters and exaggerated moves could get you a hit — except in this case, it didn’t, and the game seems to have sold worse than the prequel. Stick with the original ClayFighter or other, better fighters from the time. This one’s best left in the past where it belongs.

Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble (SNES)(1994 ARC)

Bust-A-Move – now that’s a game title that makes you do a double-take. At the time, the phrase was tied to hip hop culture and dancing, thanks to songs like Young MC’s 1989 hit with the same name. It’s like the marketing team hit shuffle on two completely unrelated ideas and went "Yeah, that works!". At least it's easier to remember than the JP title. Anyway, this was Taito’s arcade hit brought home, and boy, this game is addictive. You play as Bub and Bob, the cute little dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble, firing colored bubbles at a ceiling full of other bubbles. Match three of the same color, and they pop. Fail to keep up, and the ceiling drops closer to your doom. It's easy to learn, hard to master, and pure arcade bliss.

At the time, Bust-A-Move provided competitive real-time puzzling while also managing to appeal to a broader audience. Critics in the '90s loved it, especially for its "just one more game" addictiveness. EGM gave the SNES version high marks for being "a thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly addicting puzzle game", while CVG commented: "Great fun, especially in two-player mode, but chances are you'll already have a similar title in your collection". GamePro, usually generous at the time, was less impressed, finding single player repetitive and simplistic, and 2-player matches over too quickly. They also criticized the lack of any 3D effects in the graphics. Yeah, some reviews used to make *no* sense at the time. Advertisements for the game simply quoted PC Zone, who gave it a 94% score. But hey, it worked!

Playing it today, Bust-A-Move still holds up great. The controls are tight, the visuals are colorful and inviting, and it’s just as fun to play with friends now as it was 30 years ago. While later entries added more features and gimmicks, the original Bust-A-Move is still a classic. Whether you’re playing solo or against a friend, it’s proof that simple ideas, when done right, never go out of style.

Mega Man X2 SNES (US, dec 1994 in JP)

Capcom was back at it again in 1995 with a follow-up to Mega Man X, landing on the SNES in January 1995 in the US (originally released in dec 1994 in JP). Fans of the first game didn’t have to wait long for more in the '90s (unlike in more recent years...), and X2 brought something extra hidden inside its cart. This was one of the first games to use Capcom’s Cx4 chip, a special graphics co-processor that allowed for 3D wireframe effects, as seen in the intro and one boss battle. For the time, it looked cool, although it was more of a neat gimmick rather than state of the art 3D graphics like you'd see in games like Virtua Fighter 1-2, Star Fox or Ridge Racer around this time.

The game stuck to the formula of its predecessor: tight platforming, intense boss fights, and that satisfying gameplay loop of beating bosses, stealing their weapons, and figuring out who to use them against. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Critics at the time agreed. EGM said it "has everything that are trademarks of the MM series: hidden items, huge bosses, etc." and called it "A must for fans!" (yet they still gave it a lukewarm 76% score), while GamePro said it "improved on the original in almost every way" and concluded that "Mega Man X2 is X-cellent". Game Players said that while "the games may be near-indistinguishable from one another, they're still the best in the biz." You might recall the tagline used in magazine ads: "Are you the hunter or the hunted?". A variation of a quote from crime novelist Lisa Gardner, it does fit the game and the ad was visually striking. Sadly we don't have the worldwide sales figures for the SNES release of the game, but the later Legacy Collection sold over a million copies.

Mega Man X2 holds up incredibly well today. The level design is sharp, the gameplay as polished as ever, and the music? Actually, compared to some other games in the series, X2's soundtrack isn't quite as good. But the game makes up for it with some of the best flow and boss fights in the series. Sure, it doesn’t stray too far from the original’s template, but when the first game was that good, do you really need it to? If Mega Man X laid the groundwork, X2 proved the series wasn’t a one hit wonder - it was here to stay.

Some Rapid-fire Comments on Games First Released in January, 1995

Raiden Project (PS) – Raiden and Raiden 2 are two of the most beloved arcade shoot 'em ups out there, and seeing them land on the PlayStation as one package was a pretty sweet deal for the genre's fans. Both games get ported here with accuracy and love - they’ve even got remade soundtracks! This one's a must-play for any shoot 'em up fan, even today.

Speaking of arcade ports, let's move on to something faster and more chaotic: After Burner II on the 32X. This one was a real treat for the game's fans when it first dropped, delivering what was by far the best console port we’d seen up until that point. But, and this is key — was it the right place and time for it? The 32X was an expensive, failed addon, and while the game nailed the arcade experience, the genre had evolved considerably since 1987.

Kileak: The DNA Imperative (PS) – This mech-based FPS was a launch title in the west, and yeah, it shows. The game did have some potential, featuring fully 3D enemies, a transparent mini-map and puzzles that add some variety, but what we ended up with was more of a weird experiment than the genre-defining moment the developers had hoped for. Repetitive level design, and shallow gameplay more reminiscent of pre-Doom FPSs, are probably why not a whole lot of folks remember it.

Demolition Man (MD) – This Shooter/Platformer hybrid delivers its fun with two different gameplay styles, switching between side-scrolling action and top-down maze shooting. The boss fights stand out as a highlight, with satisfying sound effects adding extra "oomph" to the experience. However, it stumbles with some frustrating trial and error design, some confusing boss encounters, and the recycled top-down sections that feel a bit dated. Still, Overall, a solid effort worth checking out for fans of games like RoboCop vs. The Terminator (MD) and Rambo III (MD)

...And some honorable mentions for games localized in January, 1995: Super Punch-Out!! (SNES)(PAL, oct 1994 US), Biker Mice From Mars SNES PAL (dec 1994 US), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse SNES JP/PAL (nov 1994 US), Super Adventure Island II SNES JP (oct 1994 US, march 1995 PAL), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers SNES PAL (sept 1994 US), Aerobiz Supersonic (MD)(US, feb 1994 JP), Soleil (MD)(PAL, jun 1994 JP)

Major Event: Winter CES 1995

Winter CES 1995 set the stage for what was about to happen in the industry later that year — Sega, Nintendo, 3DO, Sony and Atari were all showing off their shiny new tech. First up, Sega was getting people’s attention with a large booth, a 2 seat cabinet for Star Wars Arcade, Adventures of Batman & Robin, Ristar, and some upcoming 32X games like Doom and an early version of Knuckles Chaotix. However, there was one glaring issue: The main focus was seemingly on the 32X, while the Saturn was demoed to the side of this booth, without a proper display unit, and only showing off Virtua Fighter (nov 1994 in JP). Those who did get to try it got a first taste of the console’s 3D capabilities. It wasn’t perfect, but still an impressive glimpse into the future of console gaming and 3D Fighting games. Ristar was also demoed, and while it probably drew much less attention than some of their other games at the time, in retrospect it stands out as one of the best 2D games of 1995.

Sega also released a promo video to the press, which mainly focused on the ill-conceived 32X. And while it had some good stuff like Doom 32X (nov 1994, crappy soundtrack and missing levels aside), Virtua Racing Deluxe, Stellar Assault/Shadow Squadron, Ristar, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star IV (1993 in JP), Mega Bomberman (nov 1994 in EU), Beyond Oasis (dec 1994 in JP), Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side and Star Wars Arcade 32X, there was no Saturn content featured at all. Uh, what? I mean, come on, Sega. You just demoed Virtua Fighter, you can’t leave us hanging with all these titles and forget about the star of the show! Still, despite this mistake, it made Sega come off as confident and focusing on new IPs, while following up on some older ones as well. Of course, we all know how things would go later this year.

Meanwhile, Nintendo was busy hyping up the... Virtual Boy? The red-and-black "handheld" that promised the future of 3D gaming on the go. It was definitely... something. At this point it seems they didn't even have any games ready, only displaying the design of the system. So would it go on to do what it promised? Not at all. Let’s be honest, the Virtual Boy was more of a curiosity, and it would end up going down as one of Nintendo’s weirder flops. More interesting at the time was Star Fox 2 (a mostly finished demo which includes a battle mode), a creative and ambitious sequel which had a playable demo at the show. While it looked great considering it was now last gen, it would sadly be canceled not long after despite being completed. Nintendo would instead choose to focus on the development of Star Fox 64 and forget about the game for a veery long time (it was finally released in 2017). Some other notable games demoed at Nintendo's booth (I couldn't find footage of them) were a few Kirby games, the best of which being Kirby's Dream Land 2 for the GB, and the now cult classic Earthbound/Mother 2 for the SNES.

Over at Atari’s booth, the Jaguar was still trying to prove it could hang with the big boys. Games like Rayman, Iron Soldier, Doom (nov 1994) - one of the better ports in 1995 to be fair, but still stripped down - and the super smooth Super Burnout were the best games on display, alongside various other games that are best left forgotten. On the whole though, the Jaguar still wasn’t convincing people that it could compete with the likes of the Saturn and PlayStation. Or even the 3DO.

Speaking of which, the 3DO's presentation was solid this year, but probably too unfocused for the average console player. They were trying to pitch it as more of a home entertainment center, showing off various FMV and edutainment games, and the mouse, alongside games like Wing Commander III (good) and the Wolfenstein 3D-esque Killing Time (meh). One of the better playable games was Policenauts (a demo version) by Konami, which, while a good Adventure game didn't exactly show off the console's capabilities when it came to real-time gameplay. With a company like Konami releasing games for a system, you might've expected a bit more, but you have to remember this was very early in their transition to the next generation consoles. In retrospect, they would end up focusing on the competitors' consoles, and this presentation would be the last real push for the now failing 3DO.

Sony, meanwhile, were playing the long game. They would focus on later shows this year, seemingly not even having their own booth at the Winter CES show. This might've been due to the show's declining popularity in recent years (there was actually no summer event this year). They did show off Battle Arena Toshinden at the show - also not in a proper display unit (you too, Sony?) - but people could at least try the game out, and it got most of those who did hyped for the new console. There was also a promo VHS tape showing off some launch games, but whether or not it was properly displayed during the show, I really don't know.

Finally, there were the PC games. An early version of MechWarrior 2 was being shown, then called MechWarrior: The Clans, and it was a big moment for fans of the franchise as it teased the blend of mech action, simulation and strategy that would define the series. There was a playable demo of Descent, the first six degrees of freedom FPS, which probably made some people dizzy right there on the floor show. Lastly there was a demo of Flight Unlimited, which showcased the most accurate flight physcs up until that point. At the time, it seemed clear that PC gaming was ready to push 3D gameplay to new heights, but it would still be over a year until it really took off, thanks to 3D graphics cards like 3dfx Voodoo.

Winter CES 1995 was almost like the calm before the storm. Sega and Sony were showing off their 3D fighting chops, Nintendo was betting on a weird headache machine and a souped up SNES game, 3DO was trying to do everything at once, and Atari was still fighting for relevance. With all the weird and wild new tech and big booths on display, it was clear that the next console geneeration was about to start for real, and only two (arguably one) of the consoles mentioned would emerge victorious during it.

CES Jan 1995 Footage 1, CES Jan 1995 Footage 2

Stuck in Japan: Sylvan Tale (GG)

A portable Zelda-like that never made it out of Japan, but had the potential to become a cult classic to fans of the genre is the Sega developed Sylvan Tale for the Game Gear. This is a top-down Action Adventure game in which you control a young boy name Zetts, who is tasked with saving the world of Sylvalant after having accepted some magical seeds from a talking tree. You know, classic "chosen one" stuff. But what makes this game stand out is its animal transformations, each offering unique abilities that open up new areas, much like in Zelda or Wonder Boy III. For example, the mole form lets you dig through certain blocks and talk to other moles, and eventually it gets upgraded with an ability which lets you drill through floors in certain spots to discover new areas.

The world itself is super diverse. You've got forests, villages, lakes, deserts, dungeons filled with puzzles, and of course, bosses. Some of these are no joke, and each have their own unique and varied patterns. While most puzzles are on the simple side, some do offer up solid brainteasers, and you won't get frustrated by esoteric solutions. The ability to save on the fly makes it easy to dip in and out of the game, which is perfect for a portable title. The game also features detailed sprite work, a memorable soundtrack (check out the beautifully wistful title and village themes), and a color manual packed with awesome artwork.

The game isn't perfect - some bosses like the "Flail Knight" or "Giant Skull" drag on, and the GUI is a bit primitive, which leads to some unnecessary backtracking. Still, Sylvan Tale has a lot going for it and definitely deserved better back in the day. It's unlikely that it will ever get a proper re-release, so in that sense it's still a gem lost to time. However, there is a fan translation available, so play it any way you can!

Other notable games that remained stuck in Japan: Bomberman: Panic Bomber ARC (dec 1994 on PC Engine CD), Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu II MD/GEN

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And that's it. This was a one-off thing that I did just because I miss the YT show, so I'm not planning to make a follow-up. I'm still not Jared, and this was Now in the '90s: Fan-made Reddit Post Edition. Thanks for reading!