The Best-Selling Video Game of Every Year (1985-1999)
We here at Retro Wreck Room provide monthly subscription boxes filled with awesome old-school video games for our growing subscriber base. Oftentimes, we select surprising, hard-to-find cult favorites to be sent out to our members. But, to get that definitive dose of nostalgia - it’s also great to fill our subscription boxes with the most popular, blockbuster games. That is why we created this list of the best selling video game of every year from 1985 to 1999.
1999: Pokemon Gold/Silver Version
Platform: GameBoy Color
Release Date: November 21, 1999
Developer: Game Freak
Copies Sold: 23 million
"If you've never played Pokémon, you really ought to go out right now and pick up a copy of either Pokémon Gold or Pokémon Silver. If you're a fan of Pokémon, the same goes for you...You really can't go wrong with 251 monsters, two main adventures, countless side quests, and a baseline of 60 hours of gameplay." - Frank Provo, GameSpot Review
1998: Pokemon Yellow Version
Platform: GameBoy
Release Date: September 12, 1998
Developer: Game Freak
Copies Sold: 14 million
"Pokemon Yellow is the definitive iteration of the original Game Boy installments, and a argument can be made that it plays just as well as Pokemon X or Y - perhaps even better solely thanks to the simplified premise, modes, roster, and resulting arsenal of attacks." - Riley Little, Game Rant Review
1997: Gran Turismo
Platform: PlayStation 1 (PS1)
Release Date: December 23, 1997
Developer: Polys Entertainment Cyberhead
Copies Sold: 11 million
"The experience of racing is simply awesome - the controls are precise (especially with the analog controller), the physics are realistic, and the sense of pure speed is palpable...No matter what flavor of racer you favor, Gran Turismo will take you for a ride you won't soon forget." - Vince Broady, GameSpot Review
1996: Pokemon Red/Blue Version
Platform: GameBoy
Release Date: February 26, 1996
Developer: Game Freak
Copies Sold: 31 million
"Pokemon really is worthy of being one of the Game Boy system's greatest games - it's not just a fad, a craze, or trend. If you don't have this game in your library, pick one up - it doesn't matter if you pick Blue or Red, they're both the same game. You'll just have to make sure you've got a friend with the other version if you want to catch 'em all." - Graig Harris, IGN Review
1995: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Release Date: August 1, 1995
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 4 million
"Yoshi’s Island is a brilliant follow-up to Super Mario World. Though its cartoon graphics may suggest otherwise, the game is fantastically deep, going far beyond the simple run-and-jump type of platformer. It packs a good challenge and flawlessly integrates exciting platforming action with light puzzle-solving" - Ben Lee, Thunderbolt Review
1994: Donkey Kong Country
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Release Date: November 21, 1994
Developer: Rare
Copies Sold: 9 million
"Donkey Kong Country isn't as mind-blowing as it was in '94, but it's still a great platformer. It's unique atmosphere, its buddy-tag system, and its excellent soundtrack all add up to an SNES experience that's not stellar, but it's as solid as a vest made from real gorilla chest." Nadia Oxford, US Gamer Review
1993: Super Mario All-Stars
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Release Date: July 14, 1993
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 11 million
"Amazing! This four-in-one cart will keep fans occupied for hours if not days! This is a must-have for anyone with a Super NES! Everything is here, even the glitches and secret levels! The 16-Bit conversion, graphically, is fantastic, and the stereo sound enhances the overall effect. My favorite is Dream Factory!" - Steve Harris, Electronic Gaming Monthly Review
1992: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Platform: GameBoy
Release Date: October 21, 1992
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 11 million
"The original Super Mario Land was a solid start for the series on Nintendo's Game Boy system, but nothing could prepare gamers for what the developers were able to do with this sequel. They managed to improve every aspect of the game and even made the adventure a much longer and more rewarding experience this time around." - Corbie Dillard, Nintendo Life Review
1991: Sonic the Hedgehog
Platform: Sega Genesis
Release Date: June 23, 1991
Developer: Sonic Team
Copies Sold: 22 million
"Sonic the Hedgehog was a great game in its day, and though some of Sonic's subsequent games substantially improved on the formula created by the original, this first game still holds up nicely. It can be really tough, demanding that you repeatedly replay and gradually memorize its different stages. However, its precise and purely challenging action is easy to appreciate all these years later." - Greg Kasavin, GameSpot Review
1990: Super Mario World
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Release Date: November 21, 1990
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 21 million
"Looking beyond the amazingly original storyline Super Mario World is a fantastic platformer...Between the precise controls, diverse environments and awesome music I cannot recommend this game any stronger. Super Mario World stands the test of time and has easily claimed a spot in my personal top 10 games of all-time list." Ryan Engstrom, Game Tyrant Review
1989: Tetris
Platform: GameBoy
Release Date: June 14, 1989
Developer: Bullet-Proof Software & Nintendo
Copies Sold: 30 million
"It's a brilliant game. Nintendo made one of the best moves in the history of the gaming industry by pairing the new portable with this spectacular puzzler, as Tetris was a perfect fit for play on the go – tons of people got hooked on this game 20 years ago. Seriously, it was a phenomenon." - Lucas M. Thomas, IGN Review
1988: Super Mario Bros. 3
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Release Date: October, 23 1988
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 18 million
"Super Mario Bros. 3 is still a spectacular adventure today, and the best representation of the Mario universe to come from the NES." - Lucas M. Thomas, IGN Review
1987: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Release Date: January 14, 1987
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 4 million
"It's an interesting adventure that, in some respects, paved the way for concepts and mechanics found in the modern Zelda games." - Alex Navarro, GameSpot Review
1986: The Legend of Zelda
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Release Date: February 21, 1986
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 7 million
"Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, it's an open-ended action-adventure game the likes of which had never been seen before, back in 1987." - Lucas M. Thomas, IGN Review
1985: Super Mario Bros.
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Release Date: September 13, 1985
Developer: Nintendo
Copies Sold: 40 million
"Super Mario Bros. was Nintendo's first Killer App, and a game that helped move a bounty of NES consoles." - Mark Birnbaum, IGN Review
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