Flashback to 1999

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VideoGameCritic
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Flashback to 1999

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 23rd, 2021, 8:12 am

During this time of year I always think about Star Wars, as the movie premieres were all in May. And in 1999 we were kicking off the summer with a brand new Star Wars film: The Phantom Menace.

Recently I stumbled upon a pile of Star Wars Insider magazines from 1999. These really got my psyched up back in the day, as they would often show stills from the upcoming movies without any explanation, leaving you to speculate. Some of the merchandise in these magazines is hilarious. A Darth Maul watch. Queen Amidala bed sheets. A Chewbacca bust.

I remember my buddy Eric and I showed up for the Phantom Menace premiere around 11 for the 12 o'clock showing. There was hardly anybody there. Upon asking around we discovered everybody was already in the theater! It was a zoo in there. We were lucky to find two seats together... in the front row!

This was also the year that everybody was freaking out about the Y2K bug. Since I was the computer guy, everybody would ask me what was going to happen. I would tell them there may be some minor inconveniences but nothing major. I was correct.

Finally, 1999 was the year the Dreamcast launched and I was ready for it. I remember sitting on the beach perusing Dreamcast magazine #1 and considering all the game and peripherals I was going to order for launch 9/9/99. It was an exciting time.

Anybody else want to share their 1999 memories?

BanjoPickles
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby BanjoPickles » May 24th, 2021, 9:03 pm

I remember the first time I played a Dreamcast was at a kiosk at Babbage’s. I had gone to the mall to buy the latest Collective Soul album at Sam Goody when I took a detour. That experience sold me on how awesome the Dreamcast would be.

And that paragraph had so much 90’s nostalgia in it!

Zack Burner
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby Zack Burner » May 25th, 2021, 6:08 am

I can recall my time in 1999 like it was yesterday! I too remember seeing Phantom Menace in theatres with a friend, it was a nice memory! I was in 7th grade and then the start of 8th grade in a new place which was at first hard to get over at first. Simultaneously I got into my favorite kid franchise of all time: Pokemon! I got the cards, then the gameboy game (the red version) for Christmas, and absolutely loved the TV series; in fact I consider the show in its first 5 season, not only my favorite kid show, but the best thing to ever happen to kid TV. I even had my first taste in 007 with the classic movie Goldfinger over the summer. Being a competitive swimmer, I've had some good moments that year, getting a trophy for most improved swimmer and getting my first blue ribbon in the backstroke.

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Retro STrife
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby Retro STrife » May 25th, 2021, 10:47 pm

For me this was probably my biggest year for transitioning into serious gamer. I had just upgraded from a SNES to PS1 at Christmas ‘98. I was scrolling through magazines and store catalogs, and playing Jampack demo discs, all for ideas of new games to try. I was playing Crash 3 and Tomb Raider 3 that I got as gifts. I borrowed Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII from a cousin, two games that have remained favorites.

And for March Madness, I won a tournament at my local Walmart, cheaply spamming unmissable 3-pointers to destroy all competitors in NCAA Final Four ‘99. The grand prize was a PS1 console and extra Dual Shock controller. But since I already had the console, I haggled with the store manager to swap it out for the equivalent in games ($130). I used that $130 to select three games: two that would become some of my all-time favorites, Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo, and a third, *cough*Rugrats.. ahem... Anyway, all in all, 1999 was a really good year.

djc
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby djc » May 25th, 2021, 11:45 pm

I remember going to Electronic's Boutique on the Dreamcast launch date with my cousin (9/9/99) and picking up his pre-ordered Dreamcast along with Ready 2 Rumble and NFL 2K.

We all sat in awe that night as we played 2K and realized just how special the Dreamcast was.

Gleebergloben123
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby Gleebergloben123 » May 26th, 2021, 10:43 am

In 1999 I was working in Tokyo, commuting back and forth from the west coast. I’d hit the arcades and play Virtua Fighter 3, plopping 100 yen coins a lot. Was pretty good at it, but when I played someone really good I’d get stomped. Tried Pachinko with a friend once, we lost like 3000 yen in a minute and walked out. I also have a vivid memory of reading about the Dreamcast’s upcoming release in the Japan Times or Daily Yomiyuri. It was an interview with the Sega CEO, and the question was like “What will Sega do if the Dreamcast isn’t successful?” and the reply was “This is it.” That statement really stuck with me, kind of a Last Stand statement.

In 1999 the Matrix was released in theaters about the same time Spongebob was being released on TV. Let that one sink in.

CaptainCruch
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby CaptainCruch » May 26th, 2021, 3:13 pm

After owning a Master System, Mega Drive, 32X and Saturn 1999 was the year I gave up on Sega and skipped a generation of consoles.

Also, I remember seeing Phantom Menace. I was so enthustiac about a new Star Wars movie I even thought it was pretty good back then... Now, not so much!

I also remember seeing The Matrix, a movie that really changed sciencefiction movies and I thought it was the coolest movie ever! (Still a great movie, unfortunely the sequels were both very disappointing).

goldenband
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby goldenband » May 26th, 2021, 3:24 pm

I remember seeing a few of my friends before and after they went to see The Phantom Menace. Beforehand, they were so excited to see a new Star Wars movie. Afterwards, they looked downright traumatized!

Zack Burner
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby Zack Burner » May 26th, 2021, 3:45 pm

I forgot to mention that I also saw Austin Powers 2 in theatres as well (yeah baby yeah!), my favorite of the series, although one scene which I won't mention here, still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

LuckyWDFN
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Re: Flashback to 1999

Postby LuckyWDFN » May 26th, 2021, 4:09 pm

I was in full young adult mode in '99. Engaged, saving for a house. I remember having my PS1 but not much time to play with it.

My biggest 1999 takeaway from a pop culture standpoint was Phantom Menace. The hype, the merch, everything. I was 12 when Jedi was released so the original trilogy was sacred to me. To see Phantom Menace play out as a droning government policy flick was brutal. When Jar Jar Binks appeared, I almost walked out and regret sticking it out to see the rest of the movie.

The Y2K thing was huge. The same people that built shelters and started hoarding supplies were the first people to say "I knew it wouldn't be a big deal" on January 1. It seemed at the time like half the people I knew thought something big was going go down on midnight 12/31/99. I think time kind of forgot how seriously people some were considering it.


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