Before my parents got the first family computer, I had to rely on two things to get any type of information from the internet; the local library and my friends who had the internet. I have fond memories of using the internet in this period. It was so foreign to my young mind, the idea that information about virtually everything was accessible all from one place was insane to me.
I loved digging through archaic websites trying to find any bit of information that I could. Video games and pro wrestling were my favorite things to research online at the time and the one video game website that sticks out in my mind from this period is Game Revolution. The image above is something that has always been I remembered for some strange reason. Thanks to the miracle of archive.org, I can look at what the website was like during this time in my life. Let's go!
As you'll notice, the website was advanced enough to offer a "Frames" option but my computer and Netscape browser do not support frames, so we are sticking with the pleb version. Let's move on to the "chat" section of the website.
As you can see, discussion on the Game Revolution message boards were covering some heavy topics including death and V-Rally Edition 99.
I like how "What's New" is represented by a picture of a random baby.
The "Download" page is pretty unspectacular outside of the beautiful banner image.
Moving onto the "cheat codes" section. Hope you're ready for some painful eye strain with this black text on a dark grey blackground!
In addition to the "tips and tricks" you'd expect from a gaming publication in the 90s, you also got some editorial work and game previews.
Like this E3 piece from Ben Silverman:
Some pretty spectacular games were on display at E3 that year (though in hindsight I would've given Half-Life the award for most promising new game).
I know VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive are the talk of the town now, but those experiences pale in comparison to playing Descent 2 with the StereoGraphics Simul-Eyes 3D headset system! Nathan Lingard is likely still playing games with this device.
What would a website in the 1990s be without some HOT LINKS?
I don't think you can get more 90s Internet than an Ate My Balls website.
Wait, I think a "Cats" reference beats "Thundercats Ate My Balls" in 90sness.
That's about it for this look back at weird 90s internet and the wild west that it was. But going through this does make me wonder; does Game Revolution still exist?
It sure does! I must say that the website looks much nicer now, too.
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