1995 in video games

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Jagged 85 cleanup Template:Use mdy dates Template:Year nav topic5

1995 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest VI, Mega Man 7, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and Tekken 2, along with new titles such as Mario's Picross, Battle Arena Toshinden, Chrono Trigger, Rayman, Twisted Metal, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and Jumping Flash!

The year's highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Virtua Fighter 2, while the best-selling arcade video games in the United States were Daytona USA (for the second year in a row) and Mortal Kombat 3. The home video game with the highest known sales in 1995 was Dragon Quest VI, despite only releasing in Japan. The Super Famicom was the best-selling game console in Japan, while the North American Super Nintendo was the best-selling console in North America.

Legend

{{#invoke:VgData|main|ct=platform|col=3|3DO|AMI|Arcade|DOS|GB|GEN|GG|JAG|MAC|NES|PCFX|PS1|SAT|SCD|SNES|WIN}}

{{#invoke:VgData|main|ct=genre|ver=none|col=3|Action-adventure|Adventure|Artillery|Brawler|Fighting|FPS|Platformer|Puzzle|Racing|Roguelike|RPG|RTS|Simulation|Sports|TBS|TPS}}

Hardware releases

The original NA Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn

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  • September 29 – Sony releases the PlayStation console in Europe.<ref name="MCV-DayChanged">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Top-rated games

Major awards

Category/Publication Game Players
1995 Awards
(Christmas 1995)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 		Gamest
9th Gamest Awards
(December 1995)<ref name=":0"/> 		GameFan
4th Annual 1995 Megawards
(January 1996)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 		GamePro
1995 Editors' Choice Awards
(February 1996)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 		Electronic Gaming Monthly
1996 Buyer's Guide Awards 		Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power Awards
(May 1996)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Game of the Year Virtua Fighter 2 Virtua Fighter 2 Yoshi's Island (16-bit),
Jumping Flash! (32-bit) 		Template:N/a Twisted Metal Template:N/a
Best Arcade Game Alpine Racer Virtua Fighter 2 Template:N/a Tekken 2 Tekken 2 Template:N/a
Best PlayStation Game Wipeout Template:N/a Jumping Flash! Doom Twisted Metal Template:N/a
Best Saturn Game Virtua Fighter 2 Template:N/a Virtua Fighter 2 Virtua Fighter 2 Panzer Dragoon Template:N/a
Best SNES Game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Template:N/a Yoshi's Island Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger
Best Genesis Game NHL 96 Template:N/a Vectorman Vectorman Vectorman Template:N/a
Best 3DO Game Blade Force Template:N/a D Wolfenstein 3D Gex Template:N/a
Best Jaguar Game Rayman Template:N/a Template:N/a Defender 2000 Cannon Fodder Template:N/a
Best Neo-Geo Game Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a World Heroes Perfect The King of Fighters '95 Template:N/a
Best CD-i Game Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Chaos Control Template:N/a Template:N/a
Best Sega CD Game Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side Template:N/a Template:N/a Earthworm Jim: Special Edition Lunar: Eternal Blue Template:N/a
Best 32X Game Virtua Fighter Template:N/a Template:N/a WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game Virtua Fighter Template:N/a
Best Game Boy Game Arcade Classic series (Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede, Millipede, Galaga, Galaxian, Defender, Joust) Template:N/a Donkey Kong Land Donkey Kong Land Donkey Kong Land Donkey Kong Land
Best Game Gear Game Garfield: Caught in the Act Template:N/a Ristar Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Template:N/a
Best Virtual Boy Game Mario's Tennis Template:N/a Red Alarm Mario's Tennis Red Alarm Virtual Boy Wario Land
Best Story Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:Unknown Chrono Trigger
Best Visuals Virtua Fighter 2 (32-bit),
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (16-bit) 		Virtua Fighter 2 Template:N/a Template:N/a Rayman Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Best Music/Sound Twisted Metal Vampire Hunter: Darkstalkers' Revenge (Night Warriors) Skeleton Warriors Template:N/a Chrono Trigger and Rayman (tie) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Best Fighting Game Virtua Fighter 2 Virtua Fighter 2 Virtua Fighter 2 and Killer Instinct (tie) Template:N/a Battle Arena Toshinden Killer Instinct
Best Sports Game World Series Baseball (Saturn) Template:N/a Template:N/a NFL GameDay NFL GameDay NHL 96
Best Action/Platform Game Jumping Flash! Puyo Puyo 2 Yoshi's Island Template:N/a Yoshi's Island Template:N/a
Best RPG Chrono Trigger Template:N/a EarthBound Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger
Best Shooter Virtua Cop TwinBee Yahho! Panzer Dragoon and Pulstar (tie) Template:N/a Philosoma Template:N/a
Best Driving/Racing Game Wipeout Template:N/a Sega Rally Championship and Wipeout (tie) Template:N/a Ridge Racer Template:N/a
Best Flight Simulator Warhawk Template:N/a Warhawk Template:N/a Air Combat Template:N/a
Best Adventure Game Beyond Oasis Template:N/a D, The Mansion of Hidden Souls, Discworld (tie) Template:N/a Template:Unknown Chrono Trigger

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

The following video game releases in 1995 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Title Platform Publisher Genre Score (out of 40)
Virtua Fighter 2 SAT Sega Fighting 39
Ridge Racer Revolution PS1 Namco Racing 39
Tekken PS1 Namco Fighting 38
Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Furai no Shiren (Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer) SNES Chunsoft Roguelike 38
Sega Rally Championship SAT Sega Racing 36
Virtua Fighter Remix SAT Sega Fighting 35
King's Field II PS1 FromSoftware RPG 35
Boxer's Road PS1 New Corporation Sports (boxing) 35
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner SAT Atlus RPG 35

Financial performance

Highest-grossing arcade games

Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1995, according to the annual Gamest and Game Machine charts.

Rank Gamest<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Game Machine<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Title Manufacturer Title Type Points
1 Virtua Fighter 2 Sega Virtua Fighter 2 PCB / DX {{#expr:4700+3187}}
2 Street Fighter Zero (Street Fighter Alpha) Capcom Daytona USA 2P / DX {{#expr:2015+1706}}
3 Vampire Hunter: Darkstalkers' Revenge (Night Warriors) Capcom Sega Rally Championship 2P / DX {{#expr:1976+1480}}
4 Tekken Namco Virtua Cop Dedicated 3204
5 The King of Fighters '94 SNK Puzzle Bobble (Bust-a-Move) PCB 3186
6 Super Street Fighter II X (Super Street Fighter II Turbo) Capcom Taisen Puzzle-Dama (Crazy Cross) PCB 3111
7 X-Men: Children of the Atom Capcom Puyo Puyo 2 PCB 2639
8 Shin Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown II) SNK Tetris (Sega) PCB 2638
9 Tekken 2 Namco Shanghai III PCB 2455
10 Puzzle Bobble (Bust-a-Move) Taito Ace Driver Dedicated 2414

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1995, according to the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA).

Rank AAMA<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> AMOA<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Title Award Dedicated cabinet Conversion kit
1 Daytona USA,
Neo Geo MVS,
Mortal Kombat 3 		Diamond Cruis'n USA Mortal Kombat 3
2 Daytona USA,
Killer Instinct,
Mortal Kombat II,
Mortal Kombat 3 		Mortal Kombat II,
Raiden II,
Tekken,
X-Men: Children of the Atom
3
4 Sega Rally Championship,
WWF WrestleMania,
Area 51 		Platinum
5
6 rowspan="5" Template:N/A rowspan="5" Template:N/A
7 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge,
Indy 500,
Virtua Fighter 2,
Virtua Cop 		Silver
8
9
10

Best-selling video game consoles

Rank Manufacturer Game console Type Generation Sales
Japan USA Worldwide
1 Nintendo SNES Home 16-bit 1,780,000<ref name=":22">Template:Cite journal</ref> 2,000,000 3,518,000+
2 Sony PS1 Home 32-bit citation CitationClass=web

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800,000<ref name="scei" /> 3,100,000<ref name="scei" />
3 Sega SAT Home 32-bit 1,660,000<ref name=":22" /> 400,000<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2,060,000+
4 Sega GEN Home 16-bit 30,000<ref name=":22" /> citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1,998,000+
5 Nintendo GB Handheld 8-bit 1,000,000<ref name=":22" /> Template:Unknown 1,000,000+
6 Panasonic 3DO Home 32-bit 150,000<ref name=":22" /> 250,000<ref name="Newsweek">Template:Cite news</ref> 400,000+
7 Nintendo NES Home 8-bit 80,000<ref name=":22" /> {{#expr:4610*0.0225 round 0}},000<ref name="Clements & Ohashi" /> 184,000+
8 Sega GG Handheld 8-bit 180,000<ref name=":22" /> Template:Unknown 180,000+
9 Atari Corp JAG Home 32-bit Template:Unknown 150,000<ref name="Newsweek"/> 150,000+
10 NEC PCFX Home 32-bit 120,000<ref name=":22" /> Template:Unknown 120,000+

Best-selling home video games

The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1995 in Japan and the United States.

Rank Title Platform Sales
Japan USA<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hartford">Template:Cite news</ref> Combined
1 Dragon Quest VI: Maboroshi no Daichi (Realms of Reverie) SNES {{#expr:3,081,975−599,335}}<ref name="Famitsu96" /> Template:N/A 2,482,640
2 Chrono Trigger SNES 2,000,000+<ref name="nppreview2" /> Template:Unknown 2,000,000+
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island SNES 1,000,000+<ref name=":2" /> 1,000,000+ 2,000,000+
Mortal Kombat 3 SNES, GEN Template:N/A {{#expr:1,000,000+1,000,000}}+ 2,000,000+
5 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest SNES {{#expr:1,534,793−547,498}}<ref name="Famitsu96" /> 1,000,000+ 1,987,295+
6 Donkey Kong Country (Super Donkey Kong) SNES 643,028<ref name="Famitsu95" /> 1,000,000+ 1,643,028+
7 Virtua Fighter 2 SAT 1,500,000+<ref name=":3" /> Template:Unknown 1,500,000+
8 Derby Stallion III SNES 1,086,141<ref name="Famitsu95" /> Template:N/A 1,086,141
9 Killer Instinct SNES Template:N/A 1,000,000+ 1,000,000+
10 Tekken PS1 942,000<ref name="Dengeki" /> Template:Unknown 942,000+

Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1995.

Rank Title Platform Publisher Genre Sales Template:Abbr
1 Dragon Quest VI: Maboroshi no Daichi (Realms of Reverie) SNES Enix RPG {{#expr:3,081,975−599,335}} <ref name="Famitsu96">Template:Cite book</ref>
2 Chrono Trigger SNES Squaresoft RPG 2,000,000+ <ref name="nppreview2">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
3 Virtua Fighter 2 SAT Sega Fighting 1,500,000+ <ref name=":3">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
4 Derby Stallion III SNES ASCII Corporation Simulation 1,086,141 citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

5 Super Mario: Yoshi Island (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) SNES Nintendo Platformer 1,000,000+ <ref name=":2">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
6 Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie & Diddy (Donkey Kong Country 2) SNES Nintendo Platformer {{#expr:1,534,793−547,498}} <ref name="Famitsu96"/>
7 Tekken PS1 Namco Fighting 942,000 <ref name="Dengeki">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
8 Romancing SaGa 3 SNES Squaresoft RPG 786,000
9 Arc the Lad PS1 Sony RPG 697,000
10 Mobile Suit Gundam PS1 Bandai FPS 668,242 <ref name="Famitsu95"/>

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1995.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name="Hartford" />

Rank Title Publisher Genre Platform(s) Sales
1 Mortal Kombat 3 Williams Entertainment Fighting SNES, GEN {{#expr:1,000,000+1,000,000}}+
2 Donkey Kong Country Nintendo Platformer SNES 1,000,000+
3 Killer Instinct Nintendo Fighting SNES 1,000,000+
4 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Nintendo Platformer SNES 1,000,000+
5 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Nintendo Platformer SNES 1,000,000+
6 Madden NFL '96 EA Sports Sports GEN rowspan="5" Template:Unknown
7 NBA Jam: Tournament Edition Acclaim Entertainment Sports GEN
8 SNES
9 Mortal Kombat II Acclaim Entertainment Fighting GEN
10 The Lion King Virgin Interactive Platformer SNES

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 1995.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Rank CD-ROM Cartridge
1 FIFA Soccer 96
2 Destruction Derby FIFA Soccer 95
3 Command & Conquer The Lion King
4 Discworld Theme Park
5 Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity Mortal Kombat 3
6 Star Wars: Dark Forces Killer Instinct
7 Wipeout Mickey Mania
8 Tekken Brian Lara Cricket
9 Star Wars: Rebel Assault Micro Machines Turbo Tournament '96
10 Theme Park Premier Manager

Events

  • January or February – Stars! is released as shareware.
  • April 6 – Funco Inc., parent company of video game retailer FuncoLand, announces that vice president and director Stanley Bodine is promoted to president and chief operating officer, replacing founder David R. Pomije, who will remain as chairman and chief executive. Financial controller Robert Hiben is also named chief financial officer, while vice president of merchandising and information systems Michael Hinnenkamp resigns from the company to pursue other career opportunities.<ref name="Apgar1995">Template:Cite news</ref>
  • May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek (then called Video Game Advisor).
  • May 11–13 – The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • November 5 – GameFAQs debuts on the web, as an archive of video game FAQs.
  • November 24 – Nintendo unveils a playable version of the Nintendo Ultra 64, later renamed the Nintendo 64, at the 7th Annual Nintendo Space World Software Exhibition in Japan. Thirteen games were demonstrated but only two were in playable form, Kirby Ball 64 and Super Mario 64.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Business

Games released in 1995

Template:Table alignment

Release Date Title Platform Developer/Publisher Genre Template:Abbr
January 1 Battle Arena Toshinden PS1 Tamsoft/SCEA Fighting Template:Fact
January 13 Bust-a-Move SNES Taito Template:Fact
February 15 Star Wars: Dark Forces DOS LucasArts FPS Template:Fact
February 16 Ristar GEN Sonic Team/Sega Platformer Template:Fact
February 24 Front Mission SNES G-Craft/Squaresoft Template:Fact
March 10 Panzer Dragoon SAT Team Andromeda/Sega Template:Fact
March 11 Chrono Trigger SNES Square Template:Fact
March 14 Mario's Picross GB Jupiter/Nintendo Puzzle Template:Fact
March 17 Descent DOS Parallax Software Template:Fact
March 17 Discworld DOS, MAC, PS1 Psygnosis Template:Fact
March 21 Kirby's Dream Land 2 GB HAL Laboratory/Nintendo Template:Fact
March 24 Mega Man 7 SNES Capcom Template:Fact
April Jagged Alliance DOS Madlab Software/Sir-Tech Template:Fact
April 15 Mortal Kombat 3 Arcade, SNES, PS1, GB, GEN Template:Fact
April 27 Jumping Flash! PS1 Exact/SCEA Template:Fact
April 28 Super Bomberman 3 SNES Hudson Soft Template:Fact
April 30 Full Throttle DOS, MAC LucasArts Adventure Template:Fact
May 25 Light Crusader GEN Treasure/Sega Template:Fact
May King Arthur & the Knights of Justice SNES Enix Template:Fact
June 5 Street Fighter Alpha Arcade Capcom Template:Fact
June 7 Flight Unlimited DOS, WIN Looking Glass Studios Template:Fact
June 21 Tekken 2 Arcade Namco Template:Fact
June 30 Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity DOS, MAC Spectrum HoloByte Template:Fact
July 11 Space Quest 6 DOS, MAC Sierra Online Adventure Template:Fact
July 21 Castlevania: Dracula X SNES Konami Template:Fact
July 24 MechWarrior 2 DOS Activision Template:Fact
July 25 The King of Fighters '95 Arcade SNK Template:Fact
July 31 Phantasmagoria DOS, WIN, MAC Sierra Online Adventure Template:Fact
August 2 Comix Zone GEN Sega Brawler Template:Fact
August 5 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island SNES Nintendo Platformer Template:Fact
August 11 Shining Wisdom SAT Camelot/Sega Action-adventure Template:Fact
August 31 Command & Conquer DOS, MAC Westwood Studios RTS Template:Fact
August 31 Fade to Black DOS Delphine Software International TPS citation CitationClass=web

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August 31 Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest DOS New World Computing TBS Template:Fact
September Wild Woody SCD Sega <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
September 9 Rayman PS1, SAT, JAG Ubisoft Template:Fact
September 22 Exector PS1 Arc System Works Template:Fact
October 1 Secret of Evermore SNES Square Template:Fact
October 6 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together SNES Quest Corporation Template:Fact
October 13 Hyper Iria SNES Banpresto Template:Fact
October 15 Hexen: Beyond Heretic DOS, MAC Raven Software/id Software Template:Fact
October 20 Terranigma SNES Quintet Template:Fact
October 27 Panel de Pon SNES Intelligent Systems/Nintendo Template:Fact
October 31 Destruction Derby PS1 Reflections Interactive/Psygnosis Template:Fact
October 31 I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream DOS, MAC Cyberdreams Adventure Template:Fact
October 31 Star Wars: TIE Fighter (Collector's CD-ROM) WIN, MAC LucasArts Template:Fact
November 5 Twisted Metal PS1 SingleTrac/Sony Computer Entertainment Vehicular combat Template:Fact
November 11 Romancing SaGa 3 SNES Square Template:Fact
November 20 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest SNES Rareware/Nintendo Template:Fact
November 24 Battle Arena Toshinden 2 PS1, Arcade Tamsoft/Capcom Template:Fact
November 24 Marathon 2: Durandal MAC Bungie Template:Fact
November 30 The Dig DOS, MAC LucasArts Adventure Template:Fact
December Soul Edge Arcade Namco Template:Fact
December Worms AMI Team17 Artillery Template:Fact
December Time Crisis Arcade Namco light gun Template:Fact
December 1 Mega Man X3 SNES Capcom Template:Fact
December 9 Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation SNES Heartbeat/Enix Template:Fact
December 9 Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness DOS, MAC Blizzard Template:Fact
December 15 Tales of Phantasia SNES Namco Template:Fact
December 15 Suikoden PS1 Konami Template:Fact
December 15 Brain Dead 13 DOS ReadySoft Adventure Template:Fact
December 22 Final Fight 3 SNES Capcom Template:Fact
December 31 The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery DOS, WIN, MAC Sierra On-Line Adventure Template:Fact
December 31 King's Field II PS1 From Software Template:Fact

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:History of video games

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