Let’s see how my 1994 Christmas list holds up nearly 30 years later
16.12.2023 - 14:37
/ destructoid.com
I may not put much thought into Christmas lists today, but back when I was a kid they were practically an art form. From the presentation to the content itself, I pulled out all the stops to draw attention to whatever it was I coveted at the time.
Thanks to the magic of Never Throwing Anything Away, we can now take a trip back to 1994 to see how well my wants, needs, and frothing demands stack up today.
When I first found this relic, I was instantly transported to more carefree days. While it may indeed be “just another Christmas list,” there’s a certain element of time travel involved when you’re staring down the barrel of crumpled yellow legal paper full of must-own games, consoles, and action figures. Ever the savvy child, my ’94 list is ordered by priority, with the first page practically screaming Castlevania: Bloodlines at a visual volume my parents would never be able to ignore.
Bloodlines is a great example of a game I’d still be asking for today if I didn’t already own it. With that logo so boldly emblazoned on the page, there’s no way my folks could mistake it for anything else, but I’m willing to admit a prominent Belmont, skeleton, or Dracula himself could have made my plan even more foolproof. The rest of the first page is a mixed bag. The visual aids for the other two solid picks — Splatterhouse 3 and Shinobi III — have long since lost the battle with time. Rounding out the Sega Genesis page are X-Men and Aladdin, the latter of which earned an asterisk from, most likely, my mom.
I could live without X-Men, but Aladdin was pretty great on Genesis. Splatterhouse 3 is my least played of the trilogy, but it was at least interesting and very grody. The rest of this page earns it a solid score overall.
PAGE ONE RATING: 8/10
Best Pick: Castlevania: Bloodlines
Worst Pick: X-Men
The Super Nintendo page is about as bare-bones as can be, with two very disparate outings front and center. Judging by my own memory, the asterisk, the “K-Mart” note, and the checkmark at the bottom, I can deduce that my parents went with Super Empire Strikes Back, which was not pictured.
As for Ocean-published entry, it was 1994, one year after Jurassic Park hit cinemas, so you can’t blame me for wanting to live that harrowing adventure for myself. As you’ll see over the following pages, though, my greed knew no bounds. I didn’t just want a single slice, I wanted the whole Jurassic Park video game pie for Christmas.
Also, all the folks out there who’ve been complaining about 60 dollar games for the past decade can take that Mario All-Stars price point straight to the bank.
PAGE TWO RATING: 6/10
Best Pick: Super Mario All-Stars
Worst Pick: Jurassic Park
Here’s a prime example of “one of these things is