1994: The Kotaku Review | Tim Rogers | Kotaku

I reviewed 1994 (the year), by ranking and reviewing my 25 favorite video games released during that year.
I had a reference to the OJ Simpson trial in the intro, though I cut it out so that the whole video possess a veneer of childish ignorance, like video games were the only thing that mattered in the world at the time. You need not be so childish in your comments, however. Feel free to talk about OJ all you want in there.
For a much better video about 1994, watch the 30 for 30 documentary "OJ: Made In America."

[@barnyardhouse]

“I could talk about this game for six consecutive hours.” If you didn’t believe him then, I’m sure you believe him now.

[@pakhyeoncheol]

I went and tried playing it with rudimentary JAPN 114 level comprehension and I must admit it’s quite a good time

[@GeneralTofu]

Watching Tim talk about Tokimeki Memorial for less than six hours just feels wrong.

[@yomama5368]

everyone here talking about how this video foreshadowed the now legendary _Tokimeki Memorial_ review, i'm just here seeing that this video clearly _also_ foreshadows the, at the time of this writing, as-of-yet unmade but quite likely destined to be even _more_ legendary future _Earthbound_ review

[@gorimbaud]

see, i always saw it not as a foreshadow to anything, but a callback to the longform written review he did way back in the 00s that first put him on my radar

[@FiggsNeughton]

@@gorimbaud Came here to say the same thing.

[@gorimbaud]

@@FiggsNeughton shoutout to my fellow oldheads

[@zerowing6031]

Besides literally referencing Tokimeki Memorial, you can really see the prelude to the gargantuan epic Tokimeki Memorial Action Button Review in the last 20 or so minutes.

[@pradohealey3000]

Fell Asleep to that review last night and when I woke up he was still going strong lol

[@RafaelSafo]

And Mother 3, he has plans for things to do until 2077 man

[@platypusofdoubt]

@@pradohealey3000 I'm concerned that you're probably not getting enough sleep. I recommend falling asleep to ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS: CYBERPUNK 2077. You can fall asleep during the first hour, wake up during the last hour, and you will still have a solid 8 hours of sleep. Best of luck, navigator.

[@joaogabrielneto697]

That's also a prelude to the ending of season 2, with Earthbound. I'm so hyped to this video

[@danielmiller4279]

hoo boy wait until you see the Boku no Natsuyasumi review

[@johnkenneth3602]

Hi there Tim, I hope you will get the chance to read this... My name is John Kenneth, I'm 19 years old and I am from the Philippines. I've been struggling a lot with Depression and suicide since I was 11 yrs old, I've recently stumbled upon your work, videos/gdc talks etc... And I must say that even if sometimes I find myself disagreeing with you, I found you to be a very personable/warm individual, though we haven't met ,As weird as this might sound... I found in those videos a sort of comforting feeling, I found a friend that I will never meet or speak to. I know it sounds strange but forgive me, I don't know how to properly articulate it. Thank you Tim & God bless you, You made me smile in difficult times.

[@RulebooksForYou]

John Kenneth I know how you feel. He is doing Gods work!

[@manalive2631]

I don't really comment on videos because I think it's weird but I just wanted to say I agree with your sentiment. I too recently came across Tim's videos and it is comforting to know that there are people like him (people like me???) out there. I mainly mean that I dig his sensibility, dry sense of humor, emotional sincerity and insight and I think you dig it too. Makes one feel less alone, I guess.

[@ShapeyFiend]

I too maintain a hopefully healthy parasocial relationship with Tim (well, polyamorous parasocial relationships. Kim Justice does really good Sensible Software content). Just don't tell my missus.

[@armyofninjas9055]

Hang in there, buddy.

[@rencosbjd]

Tim’s older brother was best friends with Jared the subway guy in 1994 ... that plot twist is literature

[@GangreneSerenity]

No way

[@mattgoo]

oh fuck............

[@Scottengelwalker]

this video has so many dark tim factoids. his left eye popping out when he was five, his brother being friends with subway jared, his high school gym catching on fire. and he slides it in effortlessly. a true talent

[@ShredST]

Watch his Forza Horizon 4 review for a detailed account of the eye-popping incident.

[@th3giv3r]

I've told him many a time to announce himself before he slides it in effortlessly, to no avail

[@DarkMuj]

The eye popping is totally made up like most of his so-called biography

[@hiphopopautumus]

“I wasn’t anti-social in a cool way, because there’s no such thing at being anti-social in a cool way” changed my life. thanks.

[@Viper-py4pg]

I hope its been working out for you :3 It'll keep paying off I promise~

[@FatBot]

It's that time of the year again ... ... 25 years after it.

[@NickDeArmon]

Nice!

[@LOLWUTHERING]

This video is like... really, really excellent. Deeply inventive writing, amusing performance, great editing. No irony or snarky qualifiers here; this was a pretty outstanding 68 min video to start on a whim.

[@kotaku]

thanks

[@vlino87]

Wishes for the next decade: 1-An in depth, 3 hour, video review of earthbound 2-Lets mosey part 2 3-1995: the tim rogers review

[@tiropat393]

The end of lets mosey was so definitive I wouldn't want him to do another line.

[@privatelyattack]

I need a video adaptation of his article "Growing up 64"- in which he talks about his time at Target buying Nintendo 64 games

[@christiankuntz9736]

Oh boy I bet you're LOVING action button

[@Bearboy312]

first one is happening in action button season 2

[@neverloggingout]

oh my lord you actually predicted the first episode of action button season 2

[@parvanaturalia]

a video titled 1994? this has to be tim rogers.... "hello" yup. strap in, folks.

[@parvanaturalia]

well, true to form, that was fantastic. make more videos like this, Tim Rogers. I will happily go down memory lane on one of your weird nostalgia trips any time you wish.

[@MichaelPeterson1982]

What a surreal thing, losing to Tim in Daytona at an arcade here in Indy last Sunday only to watch him talk about it online. Great music on that game.

[@heynim342]

He's just straight up reviewing years now lol

[@rickylovesyou]

Ikr, it is tim i guess.

[@TheZaius]

He should review 1995... and talk about Earthbound again.

[@otterdonnelly9959]

Good. He should review 2001 next.

[@THE-NC2]

Haha tim does whatever he wants

[@Alianger]

Next up: The entire snes library reviewed in one take

[@crizy5555]

I wish tim Roger's would marry my mom

[@danielellis8672]

Beamer Drew I also want Tim Rogers to marry your mom!

[@AndrewAnstrom]

I wish Tim Rogers was my mom.

[@brys.3131]

@@AndrewAnstrom this

[@biconditionals]

What of Tim's do you wish would marry your mom? And why is she into marrying inanimate objects?

[@TheGabs468]

@@biconditionals this is a very Tim Rogers reply

[@chiliwilli04]

I always thought it was crazy that FF6 came out the same year as the PlayStation 1, kind of like how wooly mammoths lived up until the pyramids were built. Amazing video as always, 1994 forever.

[@Bluezbreakr2]

Casually mentioning the personal experience of a car crash leading to an enucleation just for the sake of relating one's appreciation of a video game is the type of shit that keeps me coming back to Tim Rogers videos.

[@mkoopman172]

Wow, that #3 game sounds interesting! I'd love to hear Tim discuss it for roughly 6 hours.

[@FransLebin]

"look at this silky smooth 60 FPS gameplay" *footage immediately chugs to 15 fps*

[@mikexbox1]

Your academic award winning speech Earthbound was absolutely beautiful. I felt a sense of nostalgia just listening to you talk about it. It showed us how much video games really impacted us and honestly it was a masterpiece. I was smiling the whole 8 minutes you spoke about it

[@blakechildress944]

Tim Rogers really has a gift for speaking from a place of passion in the most entertaining way. I think that's why Tim articulates better than anyone why video games are more than just things to consume and can actually be impactful in people's lives.

[@heiro7572]

"Good work Konami! ...Too bad you're *dead* now and I didn't even go to your funeral..." ...it still hurts.

[@sadpanda57]

I like to think they're just comatose.

[@davitron86]

It took 15 minutes and 56 seconds for Tim to call a straw man a "narc." Never change.

[@108x]

to be fair, that straw man is a person i know in real life, and he is in fact a narc

[@desmondsolomon2809]

The recruiter who forwarded Tim’s resume, the interviewer who sat down with him and the hiring manager who made the decision to hire him, all need promotions and positions of influence at Kotaku.

[@kotaku]

Desmond Solomon the “recruiter” was me and all those other people have quit for various reasons, so it sounds like you want me to get three raises . . . nice

[@desmondsolomon2809]

Kotaku Sounds good to me! I also think you all deserve raises. Love Kotaku.

[@reyrey9752]

Hour long ? It’s has to be.....”Hello” I knew it :)

[@manuel0578]

Honestly I’m just watching Tim‘s videos to learn some new English words

[@floppytokey]

same. tim's vocabulary is so rich. as someone whose first language is not english i find these videos particularly insightful and as a very entertaining way to learn more of the language.

[@CameronWilsonspb]

I can't believe more people aren't mentioning the fact that Tim's older brother was friends with Jared Fogle

[@SomniaCE]

"Everyone who says Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best Sonic game is a narc" FACTS

[@cube2fox]

What's a narc ?

[@RatherWatchThemSA]

@@cube2fox Short for "narcotics agent," an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a group to catch people doing illegal things (in the case of its namesake, drugs). They could show an "over-enthusiasm" for the subject matter and use certain phrases that are commonly taught as "street lingo" that might be so precise as to give them away. Hence, someone who says "Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best Sonic game" may be seen by someone like Tim as too textbook-knowledgeable to be a "real" gamer.

[@cube2fox]

@@RatherWatchThemSA But who would they like to infiltrate? 🤔

[@browsertab]

@@cube2fox they're trying to sound cool.

[@Flackon]

@@RatherWatchThemSA Oh so is not "narcotics trafficker"? All this time I though narc was a bad thing!

[@MiloV89]

I am looking foward to see when Tim Rogers is 80 years old and see him doing a 60 hour documentary about his passion for videogames and his experiences in the industry.

[@halfabeet]

the final piece of music is the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C minor, the Pathetique

[@andrewericdavison]

just dropping in years later to be SO appreciative of the Crusader of Centy shoutout. What a game. Best rental Genesis game I ever spent a weekend with.

[@davitron86]

I've been playing the heck out of this list the last couple months and its been a good time. I remember playing a rom of The Ninja Warriors 20 years ago and it being a little too hard, too deliberate for what I was used to. It has aged like wine. I finished it in one sitting the other day on my MiSTer and it was impeccable.

[@FelipeKulik]

"1994 - THE YEAR" game of the year 2019

[@robinapplegate8138]

coming back here after story six of the cyberpunk review is a really cool feeling. I hadn't consciously realized that it's the same song. thank you for everything you make, if you happen to be reading this.

[@jayfolk]

I too worked Target which paid for college education, and can honestly say: being a cart barn attendant in the sun for store guests and ungrateful team members and behind-your-back gossiping managers sucked assssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. If youre gonna work retail kids, go work for costco kids - at least they wont schedule you 39 hours weekly to deny you benefits~

[@donnylurch4207]

I love Tim's recurring disdain for that brat with the SEGA CD that hopefully hasn't murdered anyone by now.

[@short600]

It’s Crazy how Tim Rogers has had such a prolific career in the video game industry while also making time to front legendary Melbourne rock band You Am I

[@dorgsan]

Somebody should write Tim's biography based on his videos

[@SimonPiano42]

yes, his videos contain a whole biography sprinkled between them. One could probably extract that, but still I hope Tim will write it himself. He'd be the best man for the job, obviously.

[@lachlanstill4813]

@@SimonPiano42 if you have not learned since this comment, and are still interested, Tim did in fact write that biography himself, in luxurious 500,000 word splendor, around 10 years ago

[@Sara3346]

@@lachlanstill4813 Thats awesome, what's it called?

[@lachlanstill4813]

@@Sara3346 the new adult's guide to sweating and breathing in the twenty-first century

[@Manga_Lloyd]

The notion of the Earthbound video review is an effort to build anticipation, right? I don't wanna be the dumb, diaper-baby that got bamboozled by hype for a three-hour long Earthbound video review by Tim Rogers that has actually been out for any amount of time.

[@ArchaeologyTube]

Love that at the end of this video Tim just casually pre-advertises for Action Button

[@maxmfpayne]

"that would be a stretch, though, this whole video might as well be a yoga class" is a wonderful quote

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

“If you did have a sega CD, you were a cop”

[@davidpalay361]

That ending was incredible, Tim.

[@nathang4682]

In the spirit of Tim Rogers, I will wait to watch this tonight in bed with the lights off. Looking forward to it.

[@Amuro1X]

It's amazing coming back to this video and seeing all the stuff he's talked about in his Action Button review series sitting here prototypically. Heck, that bit about Persona 2 literally applies to himself.

[@Narokkurai]

For a long time I was skeptical of his memory condition, but it's fascinating how consistent his history is throughout all his different videos. Tim Rogers has always been exactly this way. He can't NOT be this way. I love him.

[@UkesofHazzard]

Kinda funny at the end he almost jokingly wonders aloud about possibly doing a 3 hour review of Earthbound. Now, almost two years and several 3 (and one nearly 6) hour reviews later, I’m here to pass the last few hours until the premiere of his (presumably) gargantuan Cyberpunk 2077 review. Nice to see people achieve their dreams.

[@NicoBleackley]

I may have been 2 in 1994 but I do remember turning to my mother as I played DKC and saying “gaming will never be the same”.

[@facundobarrera8323]

I love your incredibly long, incredibly in depth videos Tim, I really, really do. I could listen to you speak about video games for days on end.

[@friend_xtra]

i would LOOOOVE to get a 3 hour video of Tim playing and talking about my favorite video game.

[@RetepAdam]

48:52 To think, we had no idea what was to come...

[@kieranwestphal]

#3 is like a delicious, charcuterie board sized cut of the behemoth six hour long meat feast we’d have to wait another year to devour

[@Bant_Panorama]

52:05 I end up saying this to my toddler in Tim’s cadence when I come home from shopping with Squirt and bottom shelf whiskey.

[@FlyingSwordfish]

Hearing Tim talk about having played a serious amount of Monkey Island has shivered my timbers in a serious way

[@keshe2692]

PLEASE tell me Tim is reviewing videogames for every year from 1994 to 2019 in this luscious amount of detail.

[@patchyyoutubetime2989]

Tim’s videos are the JRPG’s of KZbin videos. I like them both.

[@chuckcharlesz]

"..might be a stretch though this whole video might as well be yoga class." Just wonderful.

[@TheZaius]

"It just shows to go you..." Not sure if planned or accident.

[@Oblivion776]

Yes.

[@nitter93]

Don't pet the sweaty things

[@lilymoon6707]

that timpromptu timprovisation was wonderful

[@MHChrono]

Really loving these long form videos! The humor is amazing. "When you press a button, you need to be sure that you will have wanted to have pressed that button." Sounds like Monster Hunter. Some call combat like this "clunky" but it's methodical, it's about knowing the mechanics well enough that you know what you can get away with.

[@alexstone5410]

“I was a jerk and a loser, and I deserved my it” Thus might be, However unfortunate that might be, the most relatable line I’ve ever heard in a KZbin video.

[@DjediVibrations]

Anyone else here for Tim after the Dragon Quest review? I know it's backwards but can't get enough of his work.

[@nilkilnilkil]

I found Urban Strike on the ground at the railway station near my house, along with Super Mario All Stars and Judge Dredd. An amazing find.

[@tri0xin]

July 18th of 1994 / my 20th birthday I picked up LucasArts Tie Fighter(which released the day before) and a FlightStick pro, installed on my new Packard Bell legend... that weekend would be one of the highlights in my years of enjoying video games.

[@BenLucasCritic]

As soon as you hear "HELLO" you know you're in for a treat

[@ShapeyFiend]

Annual appeal to have Tim do a 3 hour review of Landstalker please. edit: I posted this before finishing watching the video and am amused that I picked 3 hours as an appropriate review length.

[@RustyShacklefordIrishHipHop]

Shapey!

[@Justsomeone99987]

Tim, I appreciate you playing Pathetique Mvt 2 during Earthbound - it’s a pleasant piece but also meaningful to me since it’s part of a set of piano pieces I’ve been trying to learn for a long time. I was just playing it today :-)

[@rickylovesyou]

I used to record my play throughs on a vhs video of all my snes and genesis games and sell them at school for 5 dollars a pop, made some good pocket money to recycle my cash flow to buy more games to record and sell. Ah those were the days.

[@JustinLeeper]

Sonic CD was awesome! But I never played Sonic & Knuckles, so I won’t argue you too much, Tim. Back to the list!

[@josephdelacruz6830]

I'm really sorry to hear that about your eye. 😞 That must've been really rough. Thanks for all your hard work. I've recently become a huge fan of yours via the Tokimeki Memorial review on your own channel. Your writing and vocal presence are both enlightening and hilarious.

[@awesome4330]

The Jared reveal

[@kenoahj]

He had aides.

[@Manga_Lloyd]

Reveal AND subsequent non-elaboration.

[@evenmorebetter]

He talked about it on an Insert Credit Podcast episode one time

[@THE-NC2]

He gave aids

[@lcorr2000]

I was not expecting EarthBound at the top of this list, but now that it’s there, I need a 3+ hour video review of the only game whose charmingly nonsensical cartoon mascot (Mr. Saturn) I will ever tattoo on my body.

[@thomaslichman5365]

All this video taught me was that my pockets would have been hurting in 1994

[@moxbagel]

This is great, would love to see a video like this for some other years. Just an amazing concept.

[@Book_Bird]

You need to add Tim's name to the video title. That'll bring the eyeballs (and such a great video deserves all the eyeballs it can legally get its mitts on).

[@ryuunomura]

''I'm saying that Supermetroid was always more supermetroid than it was metroid'' Classic Tim Rogers there. Great game reviews. I find myself pulled into all his vast game experience and commentary reviews. Can't stop watching your videos. Well done. I tried everything movies,games anime,visual novels,news from different countries,gameplay videos no commentary style. Then I come across these videos. Im out of thing to watch but this guy gave me one more alternative of things to watch. Well done. Great videos. Cheers!

[@cloud2537]

Not gonna lie, the clip of Michael Jordan just yeeting single palmed basket balls at people is some of the sickest shit I've ever seen.

[@johnpolishimpossible2say191]

Glad you have made the decisions you made to be here today providing my favorite videos on the internet - really adds a bunch to my weeks, in the last year I've discovered you. So I gotta ask, was that Jared THE Jared? Not allllllwayssss sure when you're just casually spoofing us to test who is finishing the videos.

[@TheBucket86]

I am so glad to be back to video games. I’ve been craving this video since Tim mentioned it.

[@jonhunthrop1882]

Yeah, he teased us pretty good with that one.

[@MrBallstothewall007]

Going to be completely honest. At the conclusion of the video, got genuinely teary eyed. Stop making me feel things, Tim.

[@Leinad44]

Wait... Did Tim set his schools gym on fire so he could finish FF6?

[@Rackatiakka]

I'm glad you feel similarly about Earthbound. It really is special.

[@DavidWoods255]

Wonderful stuff as always Tim. With respect to the idea of a three hour video or series, I'd MUCH prefer to hear your thoughts on Snatcher & Policenauts. As far as the top two are concerned, Final Fantasy VI (or III) seems to be a far more interesting and entertaining proposition. Happy new year to those reading this.

[@spudsbuchlaw]

Cant wait for the 6 hour MOTHER2 review

[@beckermen]

dang dude. I never know what I'm going to learn about games or about your past. Watching these is like playing the RPG of Tim Rogers. The story unfolds slowly and with a refreshing blunt force. The deadpan, snake like voice has wormed its way into my head. I narrate everything to mimic this style. Then I'm reminded how hard it is to find your voice and be heard. I can't wait for the next chapter.

[@OKWorm]

I hit the like button as soon as I start videos by Tim Rogers, knowing that the video will entertain me in a way few other youtube video content creators can. This method has never failed me, Tim Rogers has done it again, entertainment achieved.

[@samd.1891]

I watched this immediately upon its release, but neglected to leave a comment. Thank you, again, for all that you have done and continue to do.

[@genjiharvester1876]

Oh man Shining Force II...did it not fit, so you had to acquit? (funny story): I was such a sad kid, evidently, that I wrote Sega America to plead the case for them making a Shining Force sequel. I wonder if they translated and forwarded it off to Japan (where the game, evidently, must have already been in development, haha). Eventually it released pretty much right alongside FFVI and was (understandably but still sadly) overshadowed. Well, it wouldn't have gotten its due regardless, but that surely didn't help! And there were quite a few Genesis games that were seemingly not as highly regarded as they arguably deserved to be back then, a few of which appear right here in this wonderful list! By that token it's really nice to see the two consoles reach parity here. Thanks for all your work! Funfact: Usually, when asked about his favorite Genesis game, former SoA president Tom Kalinske will name Sonic 2. However, there is one interview with him I watched one time where he names both Sonic 2 and Shining Force II.

[@kotaku]

Michael Henninger it came out in japan in 1993 . . . i waffled a bit on the rules here and there though for SOME REASON (which might have something to do with gunstar heroes AND landstalker also both coming out in 1993 . . .) i decided to leave it off this list :-O

[@myopiniondoesntmatter7068]

Phantasy Star 4 misses out by like 15 days. RIP

[@GameRiff]

This genius and treasure to the world is foreshadowing an Action Button Earthbound Review all the way back here. Hope we get it in season 2.

[@desmondsolomon2809]

Makes me wonder. Should Tim do a series where he reviews a particular year? I mean this could eventually just be a new awesome Kotaku history lesson series by Tim on great games from the 80’s or 90’s to now.

[@notasfarwest]

was not expecting a reference to the spanish prisoner in the middle of the shin megami tensei 2 section

[@Moozeooze]

Thank you for summarizing why SOR3 is the best in the series.

[@viktorragnemar9018]

Please give us a 3 hour Earthbound review!

[@freddychopin]

You were right Tim, you did save the best for last. One odd thing: it looks like most of the captured game footage was limited RGB, and was not converted to full RGB color space. Gives it kind of a desaturated look.

[@mewfeuille]

Listening to the way you critically approach things has made me a better writer.

[@Jorita]

Tim Rogers is the Gran Turismo of insightful video game reviewers

[@HungryWako]

Thanks Tim. I feel like *I* need to organize my thoughts to comment anything worthwhile after these hour long videos. In the best way! So I'll just say...I'd watch the HECK out of an earthbound stream.

[@Fourtodoomsday]

I loved your improvisation.

[@abandonedrocketship]

Tim, I want very much the video you spoke about making at the end.

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

WOAH WOAH WOAH WOOOOAH JARED THE SUBWAY GUY WAS TIM'S BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND??!!