Your favourite new console memory

[Protocol Penguin]

SMW, one of the most important games I’ve ever played. Made me realise how bad all the Europlatformers I played on my Amiga were, and how good Japanese games design is at its best.

You’re right about import Super NESes and Super Famicoms, BTW: looked at some Total and Super Play issues from 1993, imported consoles were so affordable! Would’ve imported back then were I an adult with my own money to spend.

[Leon Retro]

SMW, one of the most important games I’ve ever played. Made me realise how bad all the Europlatformers I played on my Amiga were, and how good Japanese games design is at its best.

I don't think any Western platformers come close to the early Mario & Sonic games. Also, games like Castle of Illusion and QuackShot.

BTW: looked at some Total and Super Play issues from 1993, imported consoles were so affordable! Would’ve imported back then were I an adult with my own money to spend.

Yeah, the hardware and game prices were reasonable. It was only a few games that commanded high prices at launch, such as SF2 because it was 16mb and surrounded by glowing reviews. Importers definitely took advantage of people when they could get away with it. I remember Wild Trax/Stunt Race FX cost around £90 on import, simply because of the hype surrounding the game.

I think the most I ever spent on a SNES game was £45 for SF2 Turbo.

[endo]

Also, games like Castle of Illusion and QuackShot.

Been playing both recently via the Snes Mini. Both games still stand up today and are as brilliant as I remember them from nearly 30 years ago.

[Colin]

I think you’re forgetting to allow for inflation, gaming wasn’t really cheap back then either. I have vague memories of a SFC with a game being £299 back when they started arriving in the grey import shops. That would be £600+ in today’s money.

[Team Andromeda]

You’re right about import Super NESes and Super Famicoms, BTW: looked at some Total and Super Play issues from 1993, imported consoles were so affordable! Would’ve imported back then were I an adult with my own money to spend.

Hardly there were very expensive. The Snes cost a fortune via Japanese import. One needs to factor in Inflation

$199 for the USA Snes seems cheap, but with inflation that makes the USA Snes come in at $350

[Team Andromeda]

I don't think any Western platformers come close to the early Mario & Sonic games. Also, games like Castle of Illusion and QuackShot..

I didn't think the Sonic games were that good and I played plenty of great Western made platform games. Manic Minner, Jet Set Willy and Prince of Persia, Flashback were pretty amazing at the time.

[Team Andromeda]

I don't think any Western platformers come close to the early Mario & Sonic games. Also, games like Castle of Illusion and QuackShot.



Yeah, the hardware and game prices were reasonable. It was only a few games that commanded high prices at launch, such as SF2 because it was 16mb and surrounded by glowing reviews. Importers definitely took advantage of people when they could get away with it. I remember Wild Trax/Stunt Race FX cost around £90 on import, simply because of the hype surrounding the game.

I think the most I ever spent on a SNES game was £45 for SF2 Turbo.

Games were cheaper but any CD based system cost a fortune to import back in the early 90's, the prices for a Import Mega CD, PC Eng CD-Rom2, FM Towns were a lot back then, never mind we you factor-in inflation. I also remember most Import shops asking for £100 for the import version of SF II on the Snes and it wasn't much cheaper on Pal (it cost £60) and I saw the USA version of Turok going for £100 in some import shops and I paid over £70 for my copy. One needs to factor in that todays systems come with a BluRay Drive and a Hard Drive adding to the cost and when one adds in Inflation, console Hardware doesn't really cost that much more.

Mum paid over £300 for a Import Japanese Mega CD thats like over £600 in todays money and it wasn't just thanks to Import costs, but the Hardware even in Japan cost more than the Saturn launch price of 44,000 yen.

[Protocol Penguin]

Hardly there were very expensive. The Snes cost a fortune via Japanese import. One needs to factor in Inflation

$199 for the USA Snes seems cheap, but with inflation that makes the USA Snes come in at $350

D’oh! You’re right. I think I was trying to say that it was relatively affordable compared to domestic PAL gaming of the time, forgetting that factoring into inflation, PAL gaming was also pricey by today’s standard. £65 for a single game (PAL version of vanilla Street Fighter II) is expensive now, let alone after inflation is taken into account...

[Team Andromeda]

D’oh! You’re right. I think I was trying to say that it was relatively affordable compared to domestic PAL gaming of the time, forgetting that factoring into inflation, PAL gaming was also pricey by today’s standard. £65 for a single game (PAL version of vanilla Street Fighter II) is expensive now, let alone after inflation is taken into account...

Pal shopping is always more costly. I was always amazed at how much cheaper Nike shoes, Aftershave and Jeans were in the USA on my various holidays in the USA during the 90's (before the internet showed it up even more). Pal games these days aren't too bad, when you look at what it cost for most MD, SNES and N64 games back then. I remember most Snes games coming in at £50 in Woolworths

[Leon Retro]

I think you’re forgetting to allow for inflation, gaming wasn’t really cheap back then either. I have vague memories of a SFC with a game being £299 back when they started arriving in the grey import shops. That would be £600+ in today’s money.

Well, I was just making the point that import consoles - especially after the first year on sale - weren't overly expensive next to PAL versions. The same with the games. But of course -- there were exceptions such as Street Fighter 2 when it appeared on import for the first time. Sometimes importers took advantage because of hype surrounding a game. Anyway, you always paid a premium for having import games and consoles during a launch period.

$199 for the USA Snes seems cheap, but with inflation that makes the USA Snes come in at $350

Remember that you got $2 for £1 back in the early-90s. So a $200 SNES would cost £100. I was just saying the SNES in America and Japan was a cheap console from a British perspective.

It's why buying an import SNES in late-1991 wasn't so expensive, because the hype had settled a bit, and importers put prices down to £200-£250. It's not like import games and consoles very ridiculously expensive. I remember import MD games being £35.

But of course -- we can mention paying more for hyped games like SF2, SMK, Star Fox, Super Metroid, Stunt Race FX etc... Sometimes a game was more expensive then importers added 'hype tax' to make games £70+.

Mum paid over £300 for a Import Japanese Mega CD thats like over £600 in todays money and it wasn't just thanks to Import costs, but the Hardware even in Japan cost more than the Saturn launch price of 44,000 yen.

As much as people can talk about inflation -- and I agree it is a factor -- I clearly remember that spending £300 just felt expensive but not the equivalent of spending £600 today. I think it's not extreme as that. I'd say that £200 was like spending £400 today. With £40 games being like £60 games today. When people say stuff like "The Neo Geo would have cost £1000 today", my memory of the time doesn't agree with that.

But console gaming has always been expensive. It's just a fact that you always paid a big premium to have import games and consoles during the launch period. Part of the import scene was people paying over the odds to have a game near launch day. We all knew we'd have to pay more for that.

[Team Andromeda]

Remember that you got $2 for £1 back in the early-90s. So a $200 SNES would cost £100. I was just saying the SNES in America and Japan was a cheap console from a British perspective.

Not always the £ lost a tons of value after the 1993 recession and the Yen always seemed strong the pound... always. My import Mega CD and Saturn cost me a fortune back in 91 and 94 and I used to beg my mum and gran to buy me a Import Snes, but it was simply too much for them and I was always spending my pocket money on SEGA stuff

It's not like import games and consoles very ridiculously expensive. I remember import MD games being £35.

True, but in most cases those weren't the latest must have Import games. Just like how not all modern games remain full price for long.

I think in Japan games have always to be sold at very good and fair prices, compared to rip-off Pal land.

[Mayhem]

I recall getting the Japanese version of F-Zero X for the N64 a month after release for like £25, it just was not selling for some reason with importers, and they had already begun to discount it to shift. Ludicrous when you think about it, especially given most of the game was in English! Conversely I do recall paying £70 for the likes of Japanese SF2 Turbo and Star Fox on release...!

[charlesr]

Importing a Switched GC from LikSang(RIP). Joyous times.

[Leon Retro]

Not always the £ lost a tons of value after the 1993 recession and the Yen always seemed strong the pound... always. My import Mega CD and Saturn cost me a fortune back in 91 and 94 and I used to beg my mum and gran to buy me a Import Snes, but it was simply too much for them and I was always spending my pocket money on SEGA stuff

As much as the value of the pound varies -- I will always remember how great it was when you got around $2 for £1. The pound was always strong against the dollar until this decade. We can be glad that HD came along to make importing quite pointless.

True, but in most cases those weren't the latest must have Import games. Just like how not all modern games remain full price for long.

Yeah, most of the big name hyped import games had inflated prices. Importers liked to put a 'hype tax' on new games that people couldn't resist. So it's little wonder so many people got involved with importing games. I knew a guy who had an import shop in his living room in a normal, small 3 bedroom house. He had it set up like a shop, so it was cool to go round his house and play all sorts of import games. And his prices were really fair, so he got loads of money off me until he moved out of the area.

[samanosuke]

The pound was always strong against the dollar until this decade Brexit.

Fixed.