Like most people, we’re fascinated with generational gaps! The majority of us here at Beyond had the pleasure of being born in the ’90s. Today we’re celebrating those born in the same generation, taking a look over the decades most significant 90s gaming throwbacks. We’ll be rating each one, so keep reading to find out which we bag and which we bin!
1) Blowing Game Cartridges
Yep, we’ve all done it. You’ve reached the final boss before the next checkpoint, a bead of sweat rolls down your forehead. You’re ready to kick some ass. You look across to your best friend, who gives the nod of appreciation. Your eyes glance back at the screen as you realise nothing has loaded. Had the game frozen? What do you do? Every gamer of that era knew. You pick up that game cartridge, and you blow. Not just any blow, it had to be left to right! So that every piece of dust ended up in your eyes, mouth and nasal cavities. But did it work? Of course, it did. We’re ‘90s gamers.
Verdict? This one’s going in the bag. A win for 90s gaming!
2) Gameboy Printers
We weren’t cool enough to own one of these, but these black and white Gameboy printers were far ahead of their time. Think polaroid, but an 8-bit version that printed on what looked like a receipt. Nintendo introduced thermo-printing technology to their hand-held devices during the ‘90s, and the accessory made a lot of kids happy even if the attachment was hugely overpriced and had about as much use as a handbrake on a canoe.
Verdict? This one’s going in the Bin.
3) 90s Gaming Cheat Books
Cheat books were a big deal back in the day, providing us with endless hours of fun. Of course, this was when cheating was an acceptable part of 90s gaming. Who didn’t use cheat codes? Remember those Games Master cheat books? Whatever you were playing, there was a way to complete it quicker! Some of these codes are ingrained into my muscle memory to this day. R1 L1 R2 L2 up down left right, up down left right.
Verdict? This one’s going in the bag! A win for 90s gaming!
4) Tamagotchi’s
Tamagotchi’s where every ‘90s kids first pet. We all had furry little digital friends. We carried them round on a large keyring. We fed them, watered them, laughed at, cried over the demise. Without care and attention, our virtual pets would perish daily. We’d get over it as quickly as our new pet would hatch. Even to this day, game developers include Easter eggs in games!
A good example – the ‘Tomagunchi’ watch in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, where the more kills you get, the bigger your animal on your watch grows. Overall, I think it’s fair to say we miss these.
Verdict? This one’s going in the bag! A win for 90s gaming!
5) Game Demo Discs
Digital game stores and instant downloads didn’t exist in the ‘90s. Our excitement came from monthly instalments of gaming magazines. Every month, we’d pay a visit to our local newsagent and pick up a paperback with a demo disc stuck to the cover. This was the golden era of FMV (full motion video) and with it, came exciting start-ups and loading screens. Solving simple puzzles and searching for more hidden game content was the highlight of our weekend!
Verdict? This one’s going in the bag! A win for 90s gaming!
6) Magnifying Screen with Light for Gameboy
Who remembers this modification? The idea behind the accessory was to relieve eyestrain for Gameboy users, by increasing the light level and magnifying the screen so they weren’t straining quite as much. Why did we buy into this? Because it was trendy during the ‘90s and if you didn’t have the best Gameboy on the street, who even were you?
We saw a number of innovations from Nintendo during this decade, not all of them as awful as the magnifying screen, but all of them lead to a guaranteed purchase from us all. Long live the Gameboy.
Verdict? This one’s going in the bin!
7) Trapping the Butler in the freezer of Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider 2.
Big up Winston! Countless hours were spent trapping poor old, ‘Winston the Butler’ in the mansions walk-in freezer. Let’s be honest though, he was a bit creepy. Always trying to feed us, grunting everywhere he went. Waiting for him to catch up with you and then skilfully sneaking out the door was considered an art form in those days. Here’s a fun fact! The original Tomb Raider – released in ’96 – was a creation of just six people, who worked tirelessly over the course of three years. That’s pretty impressive.
Verdict? This one’s going in the bag! A win for 90s gaming!
