1996 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario 64, Duke Nukem 3D, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Mario Kart 64, King's Field III, Virtua Fighter 3, along with new titles such as Blazing Heroes, NiGHTS into Dreams..., Crash Bandicoot, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Soul Edge, Quake and Tomb Raider.

The year's best-selling video game console worldwide was the PlayStation, while the best-selling consoles in Japan were the Game Boy and Sega Saturn. The Nintendo 64 debuted in 1996. The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Super Mario 64, while highest-grossing arcade games in Japan were Street Fighter Zero 2 (Street Fighter Alpha 2) and Virtua Fighter 2.

Legend

Video game platforms
3DO3DOArcadeArcade video gameDOSPC DOS / MS-DOS, Windows 3.X
GBGame BoyGENGenesis / Mega DriveGGGame Gear
MACClassic Mac OS, 2001 and beforeN64Nintendo 64, iQue PlayerNEONeo Geo AES
NEOCDNeo Geo CDNESNintendo Entertainment System / FamicomPCFXPC-FX
PC98PC-9800 seriesPS1PlayStation 1RZR-Zone
SATSega SaturnSNESSuper NES / Super Famicom / Super ComboyWINWindows, all versions Windows 95 and up
Video game genres
4X4X gameActionAction gameAction-adventureAction-adventure game
AdventureAdventure gameBrawlerBeat 'em upFightingFighting game
FPSFirst-person shooterMMORPGMassively multiplayer online RPGPlatformerPlatformer
PuzzlePuzzle video gameRacingRacing video gameRPGRole-playing video game
RTSReal-time strategySandboxSandbox gameShooterShooter game
SimulationSimulation video gameSportsSports video gameTactical RPGTactical role-playing game
Visual novelVisual novel

Hardware

Nintendo 64

Discontinuation

1996 saw a major shakeup in the crowded home console market, with the Virtual Boy, Atari Jaguar, 3DO, Sega CD, 32X, and CD-i all being discontinued.

Top-rated games

Game of the Year awards

The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1996.

Awards Game of the Year Platform(s) Publisher Genre Ref
Chicago Tribune Super Mario 64 N64 Nintendo Platformer [1]
Digitiser [2]
Electronic Gaming Monthly [3]
Game Informer [4]
Golden Joystick Awards [5]
Spotlight Awards [6]
CESA Awards Sakura Taisen (Sakura Wars) SAT Sega Tactical RPG [7][8]
GameFan Megawards Tomb Raider Eidos Action-adventure [9]
Enemy Zero SAT Warp Adventure
Gamest Awards Street Fighter Zero 2 (Street Fighter Alpha 2) Arcade Capcom Fighting [10]
IAAPA Exhibit Awards Tokyo Wars Arcade Namco Shooter [11]
VSDA Awards Donkey Kong Country 2 SNES Nintendo Platformer [12]

Critically acclaimed titles

Metacritic and GameRankings

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

1996 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)[13][14]
Game Publisher Release Date Platform(s) MC score GR score
Super Mario 64 Nintendo June 23, 1996 N64 94/100 96.41%
Wipeout XL/2097 Psygnosis September 30, 1996 PS1 93/100 94.75%
Quake GT Interactive June 22, 1996 DOS 94/100 93.22%
Tekken 2 Namco March 29, 1996 PS1 89/100 92.50%
Civilization II MicroProse February 29, 1996 WIN 94/100 91.29%
Wave Race 64 Nintendo September 27, 1996 N64 92/100 90.67%
PaRappa the Rapper Sony Computer Entertainment December 6, 1996 PS1 92/100 88.31%
Realms of the Haunting Interplay December 31, 1996 DOS N/a 91.86%
Tomb Raider Eidos Interactive November 14, 1996 DOS N/a 91.67%
Soul Edge Namco December 20, 1996 PS1 89/100 91.46%
Tomb Raider Eidos Interactive October 25, 1996 PS1 91/100 90.02%
Resident Evil Capcom March 22, 1996 PS1 91/100 87.23%
Command & Conquer: Red Alert Virgin November 22, 1996 DOS 90/100 90.91%
Command & Conquer Sega December 18, 1996 SAT N/a 89.90%
Dragon Force Sega March 29, 1996 SAT N/a 89.64%
International Superstar Soccer 64 Konami December 20, 1996 N64 N/a 89.23%
Guardian Heroes Sega January 26, 1996 SAT N/a 89.20%
Super Mario RPG Nintendo March 9, 1996 SNES N/a 89.12%
Descent II Interplay Productions March 13, 1996 DOS 89/100 N/a
Duke Nukem 3D GT Interactive January 29, 1996 DOS 89/100 88.50%
Star Control 3 Accolade August 31, 1996 DOS 89/100 N/a
NiGHTS into Dreams... Sega July 5, 1996 SAT N/a 88.56%
Pokémon Blue Version Nintendo October 15, 1996 GB N/a 88.33%
Pokémon Red Version Nintendo February 27, 1996 GB N/a 87.86%
Formula 1 Psygnosis September 30, 1996 PS1 N/a 87.75%
Fighters Megamix Sega December 21, 1996 SAT N/a 87.67%
Pilotwings 64 Nintendo June 23, 1996 N64 80/100 87.52%
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei Sega March 22, 1996 SAT N/a 87.50%

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

The following video game releases in 1996 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[15]

Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre Score (out of 40)
Super Mario 64 N64 Nintendo EAD Nintendo Platformer 39
Resident Evil PS1 Capcom Capcom Survival horror 38
Tekken 2 PS1 Namco Namco Fighting 38
Fighting Vipers SAT Sega AM2 Sega Fighting 37
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren GB GB Aquamarine Chunsoft Roguelike 36
Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e... SNES Heartbeat Enix RPG 36
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei SAT Sega Sega Rail shooter 35
J. League Victory Goal '96 SAT Sega Sega Sports 35
Fighters Megamix SAT Sega AM2 Sega Fighting 35

Financial performance

Highest-grossing arcade games

Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1996.

Rank Gamest[10] Game Machine[16]
Title Manufacturer Title Type Points
1 Street Fighter Zero 2 (Street Fighter Alpha 2) Capcom Virtua Fighter 2 / 2.1 PCB 5541
2 Virtual On: Cyber Troopers Sega Puzzle Bobble 2 / 2X PCB 4782
3 The King of Fighters '96 SNK Print Club (Purikura) Other 4059
4 Virtua Fighter 3 Sega Rave Racer SD / DX / 2P 3780
5 Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara Capcom Tekken 2 PCB 3579
6 Psychic Force Taito Virtua Cop 2 Dedicated 3271
7 RayStorm Taito Virtual On: Cyber Troopers Dedicated 3208
8 X-Men vs. Street Fighter Capcom Alpine Racer Dedicated 2807
9 Real Bout Garō Densetsu (Real Bout Fatal Fury) SNK Fighting Vipers PCB 2555
10 Battle Garegga Eighting Street Fighter Zero 2 PCB 2543

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1996.

Drasnin Communications[17] AMOA[18]
Title Developer Manufacturer Genre Dedicated cabinet Conversion kit
Daytona USA Sega AM2 Sega Racing Alpine Racer Area 51
Cruis'n USA Midway Games Midway Games Racing Area 51 Bust-A-Move Again
Tekken 2 Namco Namco Fighting Cruis'n USA Mortal Kombat 3
Area 51 Mesa Logic Atari Games Light gun shooter Daytona USA Soul Edge
Alpine Racer Namco Namco Sports Time Crisis Tekken 2
Die Hard Arcade Sega AM1 Sega Brawler N/a
Metal Slug SNK SNK Run and gun
Point Blank Namco Namco Light gun shooter
DecAthlete Sega AM3 Sega Sports
Strikers 1945 Psikyo Psikyo Scrolling shooter

Australia

On Australia's Timezone monthly arcade charts published in the March 1996 issue of Leisure Line magazine, Sega's Manx TT Super Bike was the top-grossing dedicated arcade cabinet and Namco's Point Blank was the top-grossing arcade conversion kit.[19]

Best-selling video game consoles

Rank Manufacturer Game console Type Generation Sales
Japan United States Worldwide
1 Sony PS1 Home 32-bit 2,200,000+[20] 2,044,000[21] 6,600,000+[20]
2 Nintendo GB Handheld 8-bit 2,860,000[22] Unknown 4,000,000+[23]
Sega SAT Home 32-bit 2,300,000[22] 744,000[21] 4,000,000+[24][25]
4 Nintendo N64 Home 64-bit 1,022,999[26] 1,736,000[21] 2,758,999+
5 Nintendo SNES Home 16-bit 620,000[22] 1,416,000 1,746,000+
6 Sega GEN Home 16-bit Unknown 1,316,000[21] 1,316,000+
7 Nintendo NES Home 8-bit 70,000[22] 468,000[21] 538,000+
8 Sega GG Handheld 8-bit 100,000[22] Unknown 100,000+
9 NEC PCFX Home 32-bit 50,000[22] Unknown 50,000+
Panasonic 3DO Home 32-bit 50,000[22] Unknown 50,000+

Best-selling home video games

The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) worldwide in 1996.

Rank Title Platform Sales
Japan United States[27][28] Europe[29][30] Worldwide
1 Super Mario 64 N64 903,000[31] 2,000,000+[32] N/a 2,903,000+
2 Tekken 2 PS1 1,200,000+[33] 1,000,000+ 420,000 2,620,000+
3 Resident Evil (Biohazard) PS1 1,016,000[31] 1,000,000+ 300,000+ 2,316,000+
4 Super Mario RPG SNES 995,898[34] 1,000,000+ N/a 1,995,898+
5 Donkey Kong Country 3 SNES 674,000[31] 1,000,000+ Unknown 1,674,000+
6 Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue GB 1,663,861[34] N/a N/a 1,663,861
7 Donkey Kong Country 2 SNES 612,000[31] 1,000,000+ Unknown 1,612,000+
8 Wave Race 64 N64 154,682[34] 1,000,000+ N/a 1,154,682+
9 Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e... SNES 1,071,000[31] N/a N/a 1,071,000
10 Madden NFL 97 PS1 N/a 1,000,000+ Unknown 1,000,000+

Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1996.

Rank Title Platform Developer Publisher Genre Sales Ref
1 Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue GB Game Freak Nintendo RPG 1,663,861 [34]
2 Tekken 2 PS1 Namco Namco Fighting 1,200,000+ [33]
3 Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e... SNES Heartbeat Enix RPG 1,071,000 [31]
4 Biohazard (Resident Evil) PS1 Capcom Capcom Survival horror 1,016,000
5 Super Mario RPG SNES Squaresoft Nintendo RPG 995,898 [34]
6 Derby Stallion '96 PS1 ASCII ASCII Simulation 960,000 [31]
7 Super Mario 64 N64 Nintendo EAD Nintendo Platformer 903,000
8 Arc the Lad II PS1 ARC Entertainment Sony RPG 818,000
9 Tobal No. 1 PS1 DreamFactory Squaresoft Fighting 752,000
10 Rage Racer PS1 Namco Namco Racing 701,000

United States

In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1996.[27]

Rank Title Platform Publisher Genre Sales[27][28] Revenue Inflation
1 Super Mario 64 N64 Nintendo Platformer 2,000,000+[32] $140,000,000[32] $287,000,000
2 Donkey Kong Country 2 SNES Nintendo Platformer 1,000,000+ Unknown Unknown
3 Donkey Kong Country 3 SNES Nintendo Platformer 1,000,000+ Unknown Unknown
4 Madden NFL 97 PS1 EA Sports Sports (football) 1,000,000+ Unknown Unknown
5 Wave Race 64 N64 Nintendo Racing 1,000,000+
6 Super Mario RPG SNES Nintendo RPG 1,000,000+
7 Tekken 2 PS1 Namco Fighting 1,000,000+ Unknown Unknown
8 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire N64 Nintendo Action 1,000,000+ Unknown Unknown
9 Resident Evil PS1 Capcom Survival horror 1,000,000+[28] Unknown Unknown
10 Myst PS1 Broderbund Adventure 853,765[35] $28,800,000[35] $59,100,000

Europe

In Europe, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 1996.

Rank All platforms PlayStation[29]
Title Publisher Title EU sales[30] UK revenue[36] UK revenue (inflation)
1 Formula 1[37] Psygnosis Formula 1 420,000+ £15,000,000+ ($23,000,000+) $47,000,000+
2 Unknown Tekken 2 420,000 £15,000,000+ ($23,000,000+) $47,000,000+
3 Unknown FIFA 97 300,000+ Unknown Unknown
4 Unknown Resident Evil 300,000+
5 Unknown Crash Bandicoot 300,000 £15,000,000+ ($23,000,000+) $47,000,000+
6 Unknown Destruction Derby Unknown
7 Unknown Ridge Racer Revolution
8 Unknown Tekken
9 Unknown Ridge Racer
10 Unknown Tomb Raider

In addition to the PlayStation games listed above, the following titles were the year's best-selling Sega Saturn and PC games in the United Kingdom.

Sega Saturn PC[38]
HMV[39] Rank Title
Athlete Kings Tomb Raider 1 Grand Prix 2
Bust-A-Move 2 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 2 Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Daytona USA: Circuit Edition Virtua Cop 3 FIFA 97
Euro 96 Virtua Fighter 2 4 Command & Conquer
Exhumed Sega Worldwide Soccer 97 5 Civilization II
Fighting Vipers N/a 6 Quake
Guardian Heroes N/a 7 Theme Park
Nights into Dreams N/a 8 Rally Championship
Sea Bass Fishing N/a 9 Championship Manager 2
Sega Rally Championship N/a 10 Worms

Top game rentals in the United States

In the United States, the following games were the top video game rentals of each month, according to the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA).

Month Game Ref
January Unknown
February Unknown
March Unknown
April Unknown
May Super Mario RPG [40]
June
July
August
September Unknown
October Unknown
November Unknown
December Unknown

Events

Business

Notable releases

Release Date Title Developer/Publisher Platform Genre Ref
January 25Guardian HeroesTreasure/SegaSATBrawler[citation needed]
January 26Mystaria: The Realms of LoreMicro Cabin/SegaSATTactical RPG[citation needed]
January 26ShizukuLeafPC98Visual novel[43]
January 29Duke Nukem 3D3D Realms/GT InteractiveDOSFPS[citation needed]
January 31Mega Man X3CapcomSNES[citation needed]
February 9Bahamut LagoonSquareSoftSNESTactical RPG[citation needed]
February 20Soul EdgeNamcoArcadeFighting[44]
February 23Front Mission: Gun HazardSquareSoftSNES[citation needed]
February 27Pokémon Red and GreenGame Freak/NintendoGB[citation needed]
February 29Civilization IIMicroProseWIN4X[citation needed]
February 29RipperTake Two InteractiveDOSAdventure, Interactive film[citation needed]
February 29Rise 2: ResurrectionMirage/AcclaimWIN, SAT, PS1[citation needed]
February 29Terra Nova: Strike Force CentauriLooking Glass StudiosDOSFPS[citation needed]
February 29Zork: NemesisActivisionWIN[citation needed]
March 9Super Mario RPGSquareSoft/NintendoSNESRPG[citation needed]
March 21Kirby Super StarHAL Labs/NintendoSNES[citation needed]
March 22Resident EvilCapcomPS1survival horror[citation needed]
March 22Panzer Dragoon II ZweiTeam Andromeda/SegaSATRail shooter[citation needed]
March 24Someone's in the Kitchen!The Neverhood Inc./DreamWorksWIN[45]
March 29Dragon Ball Z: Hyper DimensionTOSE/BandaiSNES[citation needed]
April 20Barbie Fashion DesignerDigital Domain/Mattel MediaWIN[citation needed]
April 26Jumping Flash! 2Exact/SCEAPS1Platformer[citation needed]
April 26The Legend of OasisSega/AncientSAT[citation needed]
April 30Indiana Jones and His Desktop AdventuresLucasArtsWIN, MACAdventure[citation needed]
May 14Fire Emblem: Seisen no KeifuIntelligent Systems/NintendoSNESTactical RPG[citation needed]
May 13Kirby's Block BallHAL Labs/NintendoGB[citation needed]
May 24Metal SlugSNKNEO[citation needed]
May 31Final Doomid SoftwareDOS[citation needed]
JuneLast BronxSegaArcade[citation needed]
June 22Quakeid SoftwareDOS[citation needed]
June 23Super Mario 64NintendoN64Platformer[46]
June 26Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3Acclaim Entertainment, GT Interactive, Midway, Williams EntertainmentSAT, GEN, SNES[citation needed]
July 5NiGHTS into Dreams...SegaSAT[citation needed]
July 19Saturn BombermanHudsonSAT[citation needed]
July 19Star Oceantri-ace/EnixSNES[citation needed]
July 25The King of Fighters '96SNKNEO, NEOCD, SAT[citation needed]
July 26Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade EditionTaito/AcclaimSAT, PS1Puzzle[citation needed]
July 31Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of FleshSierra On-LineDOS, WIN[citation needed]
July 31Virtua Fighter KidsSega AM2SAT, Arcade[citation needed]
August 25Tekken 2NamcoPS1Fighting[citation needed]
August 26Azrael's TearIntelligent GamesDOSAdventure[citation needed]
August 31Die Hard TrilogyProbe Entertainment/Fox InteractiveWIN, PS1, SAT[citation needed]
August 31Tetris AttackIntelligent Systems/NintendoSNES, GB[citation needed]
August 31Madden NFL 97EA Sports/Electronic ArtsGEN, PS1, WIN, SNES, SAT, GBSports (football)[citation needed]
August 31Beyond the BeyondCamelot/SCEAPS1RPG[citation needed]
August 31Jet MotoSingleTrac/SCEAPS1Racing[citation needed]
SeptemberJagged Alliance: Deadly GamesSir-TechDOS[citation needed]
SeptemberVirtua Fighter 3Sega AM2ArcadeFighting[citation needed]
September 8Magic Carpet 2Bullfrog ProductionsDOSAction[47]
September 9Crash BandicootNaughty Dog/Universal/SonyPS1[citation needed]
September 14GunGriffonGame Arts/SegaSAT[citation needed]
September 20Revelations: PersonaAtlusPS1RPG[citation needed]
September 20The Elder Scrolls II: DaggerfallBethesda SoftworksWINSandbox[citation needed]
September 27Meridian 593DOWINMMORPG[citation needed]
September 27Blue Breaker: Ken yori mo hohoemi oHuneXPCFXRPG[48]
September 29Pilotwings 64NintendoN64[46]
September 30Broken Sword: The Shadow of the TemplarsRevolution Software/Virgin InteractiveWIN, PS1Adventure[citation needed]
September 30Wipeout XL/2097PsygnosisPS1[citation needed]
September 30Shattered SteelBioWare/InterplayDOS[citation needed]
September 30Street Fighter Alpha 2CapcomArcade, SNES, PS1, SAT[citation needed]
September 30Mr. BonesZono/SegaSATPlatformer[citation needed]
September 30Tobal No. 1DreamFactory/SCEAPS1Fighting[citation needed]
September 30Formula 1Bizarre Creations/SCEAPS1Racing[citation needed]
September 30Donkey Kong Land 2Rare/NintendoGB[citation needed]
October 1Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession WarsNew World Computing/3DODOS, WIN[citation needed]
October 10Mortal Kombat TrilogyAvalanche, Midway, Point of ViewN64, PS1, RZ[citation needed]
October 15Marathon InfinityBungieMAC[citation needed]
October 15Pokémon BlueGame Freak/NintendoGB[citation needed]
October 30The NeverhoodThe Neverhood Inc./DreamWorksWIN[citation needed]
October 31Command & Conquer: Red AlertWestwood StudiosDOS[citation needed]
October 31Master of Orion IISimtex/MicroProseDOS[citation needed]
October 31ToonstruckBurst Studios/Virgin Interactive EntertainmentDOS[citation needed]
October 31Drowned GodEpic Multimedia Group/InscapeWINAdventure[citation needed]
October 31SimCopterMaxisWINSimulation (flight)[citation needed]
October 31King's Field IIIFromSoftware/ASCII EntertainmentPS1[citation needed]
October 31DeathDromeZipper Interactive/ViacomWIN[citation needed]
October 31WWF In Your HouseAcclaimDOS, PS1, SAT[citation needed]
October 31Twisted Metal 2SingleTrac/SCEAPS1[citation needed]
October 31Destruction Derby 2Reflections Interactive/SCEAPS1[citation needed]
October 31NBA Live 97Electronic Arts, EA SportsPS1, SAT, SNES, GEN[citation needed]
October 31Pandemonium!Electronic Arts, EA SportsPS1, SAT[citation needed]
November 1Blood Omen: Legacy of KainSilicon Knights/Crystal DynamicsPS1, WIN[citation needed]
November 14Tomb RaiderCore Design/EidosPS1, SAT, DOSAction-adventure[citation needed]
November 20DisruptorInsomniac GamesPS1[citation needed]
November 20Sonic 3D BlastSega/Traveller's TalesSAT, GENPlatformer[citation needed]
November 22Donkey Kong Country 3Rare/NintendoSNES[citation needed]
November 25Killer Instinct GoldRare/NintendoN64Fighting[citation needed]
November 25Bubsy is 3D in "Furbitten Planet"Eidetic/AccoladePS1[citation needed]
November 26Area 51Mesa Logic/Atari GamesPS1, WIN, SATShooter[citation needed]
November 26Dead or AliveTeam Ninja/TecmoArcadeFighting[49]
November 30Contra: Legacy of WarKonami/Appaloosa InteractiveSAT, PS1[citation needed]
November 30Dragon ForceSega/Working DesignsSATRPG, RTS[citation needed]
November 30Fighting VipersSega AM2SAT, ArcadeFighting[citation needed]
November 30Virtua Cop 2Sega AM2SAT, ArcadeLight gun shooter[citation needed]
November 30Virtual On: Cyber TroopersCRI/SegaSAT, Arcade[citation needed]
November 30Bug Too!Sega/Realtime AssociatesSAT, WIN[citation needed]
November 30FIFA Soccer 97EA Canada/Electronic ArtsGEN, PS1, WIN, SNES, SAT, GB[citation needed]
December 3Star Wars: Shadows of the EmpireLucasArts/NintendoN64Action[citation needed]
December 12IgnitionUnique Development Studios/Virgin InteractiveDOS, WINRacing[citation needed]
December 14Mario Kart 64NintendoN64Racing (kart)[citation needed]
December 16FurcadiaDragon's Eye Productions, Inc.WINMMORPG[50]
December 17Mega Man 8CapcomPS1[citation needed]
December 26Yu-noELF CorporationPC98Visual novel[51]
December 31Death RallyRemedy Entertainment/GT InteractiveDOS[citation needed]
December 31NBA HangtimeMidwayGEN, PS1, WIN, N64, Arcade, SNESSports (basketball)[citation needed]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Released in North America on November 4th.
  2. ↑ Release in North America on September 29, 1996 and then in PAL regions on March 1, 1997.
  3. ↑ Released in North America on September 2nd.

References

  1. ↑ Carter, Chip; Carter, Jonathan (January 2, 1997). "For Game Quality, 1996 Was a Very Good Year". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Digitiser's Top 14 Games Of 1996". Digitiser. January 3, 1997. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 92 (March 1997), pages 82-90
  4. ↑ "25 Years Of Game Informer's GOTY Awards". Game Informer. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Golden Joysticks Awards' Ultimate List of Ultimate Games: 1983–2014". GamesRadar. Future plc. October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ "Archive 1997 Spotlight Awards". Game Developers Choice Awards. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ CESA大賞'96 初の作品賞(大賞)はサクラ大戦が受賞！ [The CESA Grand Prize '96's top award (Grand Prize) was won by Sakura Wars!] (in Japanese). Japan Game Awards. 2017. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ "About Sakura Taisen". Red Entertainment. 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  9. ↑ GameFan, volume 5, issue 2 (February 1997), pages 34-36
  10. 1 2 "第10回 ゲーメスト大賞" [10th Gamest Awards]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 188 (January–February 1997). December 27, 1996. pp. 46–63. alternate url
  11. ↑ "IAAPA Exhibit Awards History (1990-2001)" (PDF). International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. November 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Home Entertainment Awards – Video Games". Entertainment Merchants Association. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Best Video Games for 1996". Metacritic. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Highest-Ranking Games of 1996 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧" [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review Platinum Hall of Fame Software List]. Geimin (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ Akagi, Masumi, ed. (February 1, 1997). ""Tekken 2", "Virtua Cop 2" Top Videos '96" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 534. Amusement Press, Inc. p. 26.
  17. ↑ "Top Ten Arcade Titles for 1996: According to a recent report, both Sega and Namco had three of top ten grossing arcade titles in 1996". Next Generation. December 17, 1996. Archived from the original on April 18, 1997. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Coin Machine: AMOA Announces JB Award Nominees" (PDF). Cash Box. August 3, 1996. p. 26.
  19. ↑ "Test Reports". Leisure Line. Leisure & Allied Industries. March 1996. p. 58. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  20. 1 2 "Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware / PlayStation". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony. December 31, 2003. Archived from the original on April 22, 2004. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Clements, Matthew T.; Ohashi, Hiroshi (October 2004). "Indirect Network Effects and the Product Cycle: Video Games in the U.S., 1994–2002" (PDF). NET Institute. pp. 12, 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 小川 (Ogawa), 純生 (Sumio) (December 14, 2010). "テレビゲーム機の変遷 —ファミコン、スーパーファミコン、プレステ、プレステ2、Wiiまで—" [Recent Developments in Video Game Technology in Japan — Famicom, Super Famicom, Play Station, Play Station 2 and Wii —] (PDF). 経営論集 (Keiei Ronshū) (in Japanese) (77) (published March 2011): 1–17 (2). ISSN 0286-6439. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2021 – via Toyo University Academic Information Repository (Toyo University).
  23. ↑ Rothstein, Edward (December 8, 1997). "Nintendo's Game Boy lives as nostalgia for simpler computer games catches on". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  24. ↑ Fontaine, Gilles (February 5, 1997). "Jeux vidéo : une industrie lourde est née" [Video games: a heavy industry is born]. L'Express (in French). Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Sales War Continues" (PDF). Sega Pro. No. 56 (published February 28, 1996). April 1996. p. 11. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  26. ↑ "1997 Results". Game Data Library. Famitsu. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  27. 1 2 3 Famighetti, Robert (1997). "Top-Selling Video Games, 1996". The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1998. World Almanac Books. p. 259. ISBN 0886878217. Source: The NPD TRSTS Video Game Tracking Service, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, NY; ranked by units sold
  28. 1 2 3 "Growing Minions of Evil!". Computer and Video Games. No. 179 (October 1996). September 9, 1996. p. 9.
  29. 1 2 "Top-Selling PlayStation Titles (1996) - Europe". Screen Digest. Screen Digest Limited: 130. 1997.
  30. 1 2 Screen Digest. Screen Digest. 1997. p. 132. Despite the earlier launch in the US, sales of next generation console games can already be fairly evenly balanced between the US and Europe, with PlayStation titles Tekken II and Crash Bandicoot, for example, selling 470,000 and 340,000 in the US and 420,000 and 300,000 in Europe respectively.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1996年のコンシューマーゲームソフトの売上" [1996 Consumer Game Software Sales]. Dengeki Oh (in Japanese). MediaWorks. Archived from the original on September 21, 2001. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  32. 1 2 3 "Inventor pales beside his 'Mario' creation". El Paso Times. Associated Press. March 16, 1997. p. 56.
  33. 1 2 Hurwitch, Nick (July 10, 2019). The Art of Tekken: A Complete Visual History. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-5241-1308-7.
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  37. ↑ Classic Videogame Hardware Genius Guide. Imagine Publishing. p. 492. ISBN 978-1-908222-22-0.
  38. ↑ "UK: Top-Selling PC CD-ROM Games 1996". Screen Digest. Screen Digest Limited: 133. 1997.
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  40. ↑ Staff (August 24, 1996). "Mario RPG Tops Rentals Again". Next Generation. Archived from the original on April 19, 1997. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
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  43. ↑ Morise, Ryo (October 29, 2023). "『雫』『痕』、そして『ToHeart』。ビジュアルノベルの誕生と繚乱【アニメ『16bitセンセーション Another Layer』連動企画第4回】" ["Shizuku," "Kizu," and "ToHeart." The Birth of Visual Novels and the Era of Turmoil [Part 4 of the Cross-Promotional Campaign for the Anime "16-bit Sensation: Another Layer"]]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  44. ↑ Bandai Namco. "「ソウルキャリバーⅢ」参考資料" (PDF).
  45. ↑ "Someone's in the Kitchen (Video Game 1996)". IMDb.
  46. 1 2 McCall, Scott (September 28, 1996). "N64's U.S. Launch". Teleparc. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Magic Carpet 2: The Netherworlds - PC Review - Coming Soon Magazine!". January 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
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  49. ↑ "デッド オア アライブ まとめ [アーケード] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
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source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_in_video_games