And now games are cheaper (when factor in inflation), and we get more content included at launch than almost all those games. So, good time to be a gamer.
-T111-
You have more variety today, a 30$ woth double its cost and a 90$ one with a 100$ DLC not worth half of it
natephant
Back when all PC game box art looked terrible.
I always wondered about that little phenomenon and still never really found an answer.
The closest I got was that PC games really wanted to show off 3D on the box. But it’s like… consoles were well into 3D and PC game box art still looked like dog poop.
TheDickDangler
Dungeon keeper 2 is still fun to this day
Kraien
Oo Merchant Prince 2, let me find where I can replay that
ReverieX416
Brings me back to my childhood, looking at the local ads for new video games. Good times!
Samewrai
Startopia was a cozy game.
NebTheDestroyer
R.I.P. EB Games, I miss those days.
Silantro-89
I always forget Codename 47 is that old, but you had to wait a bit longer (2002) for Mafia to come out.
The_Legend_of_Xeno
I’ve been a PC gamer for 30+ years, and Deus Ex and Hitman are the only games in that ad I’ve ever played.
Dizman7
I worked at an EB Games during that time! Saw many of these boxes daily!
See kids, PC games use to come in these things called BOXES, and the actual game was on a DISC!
Vollkommen
Alpha Centauri was incredible – loved that game so much. Hundreds of hours.
Krhl12
It hurts me so much that this is 24 years old and one of my favourite games is listed as a “classic” for cheap
gnarkill1990
There are some bangers in this ad
CaramelKoala3
Alone in the Dark with forever be one of my favorites
Sabbathius
I miss old EB Games.
Where you could just walk in and browse the shelves, pre-owned section often had some really good stuff. I got a well-loved copy of TES: Morrowind and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for pennies on a dollar. You never knew what you would find, and you went just for the ambiance, to be around your own people (GEEKS!).
Then they phased out pre-owned section, and then they phased out PC gaming entirely, and then I stopped going, and then the store closed. /shrug
deadregime
I worked at an EB during this era. We were allowed to “borrow” PC games as long as we brought them back and re-shrink wrapped them (no idea if this was a company or just my manager policy). I borrowed any game I thought there was the slightest possibility me or a friend would want to play, burned a copy, and brought them back the next day. I borrowed a Diablo 2 collectors edition solely to watch the included DVD with all the cinematics. This was back before the big push for pre-orders and games **mostly** only shipped when they were done so it was a good time for gaming.
Memory-Leak
Great, now I have to reinstall Deus Ex.
SpareRam
Posts like this I feel are to point out how cheap games used to be, when overall that was anything but the case during the 90s and early 00s.
Know what definitely *was* super cheap back then? The used physical copy market. I was rolling in games bought from Play N’ Trade type shops. The decline of physical media and the extremely bloated price of retro games has really warped our perception of price.
This is the single best time to be into video games, if it’s just a discussion of costs.
19 Comments
And now games are cheaper (when factor in inflation), and we get more content included at launch than almost all those games. So, good time to be a gamer.
You have more variety today, a 30$ woth double its cost and a 90$ one with a 100$ DLC not worth half of it
Back when all PC game box art looked terrible.
I always wondered about that little phenomenon and still never really found an answer.
The closest I got was that PC games really wanted to show off 3D on the box. But it’s like… consoles were well into 3D and PC game box art still looked like dog poop.
Dungeon keeper 2 is still fun to this day
Oo Merchant Prince 2, let me find where I can replay that
Brings me back to my childhood, looking at the local ads for new video games. Good times!
Startopia was a cozy game.
R.I.P. EB Games, I miss those days.
I always forget Codename 47 is that old, but you had to wait a bit longer (2002) for Mafia to come out.
I’ve been a PC gamer for 30+ years, and Deus Ex and Hitman are the only games in that ad I’ve ever played.
I worked at an EB Games during that time! Saw many of these boxes daily!
See kids, PC games use to come in these things called BOXES, and the actual game was on a DISC!
Alpha Centauri was incredible – loved that game so much. Hundreds of hours.
It hurts me so much that this is 24 years old and one of my favourite games is listed as a “classic” for cheap
There are some bangers in this ad
Alone in the Dark with forever be one of my favorites
I miss old EB Games.
Where you could just walk in and browse the shelves, pre-owned section often had some really good stuff. I got a well-loved copy of TES: Morrowind and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for pennies on a dollar. You never knew what you would find, and you went just for the ambiance, to be around your own people (GEEKS!).
Then they phased out pre-owned section, and then they phased out PC gaming entirely, and then I stopped going, and then the store closed. /shrug
I worked at an EB during this era. We were allowed to “borrow” PC games as long as we brought them back and re-shrink wrapped them (no idea if this was a company or just my manager policy). I borrowed any game I thought there was the slightest possibility me or a friend would want to play, burned a copy, and brought them back the next day. I borrowed a Diablo 2 collectors edition solely to watch the included DVD with all the cinematics. This was back before the big push for pre-orders and games **mostly** only shipped when they were done so it was a good time for gaming.
Great, now I have to reinstall Deus Ex.
Posts like this I feel are to point out how cheap games used to be, when overall that was anything but the case during the 90s and early 00s.
Know what definitely *was* super cheap back then? The used physical copy market. I was rolling in games bought from Play N’ Trade type shops. The decline of physical media and the extremely bloated price of retro games has really warped our perception of price.
This is the single best time to be into video games, if it’s just a discussion of costs.