From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

So, it'll probably surprise nobody here that I have amassed quite a >collection of video-game catalogs from yesteryear. What can I say; I
like old games and --as much-- I like the ephemera that came with
those games. The boxes, the manuals... and the catalogs.

And I like reading through those catalogs. I like reading what the
marketing team had to say about the games; the things they considered
most important to announce to the world. It really helps tell you the
state of the industry, and what gamers thought were vital features.

But thumbing through these booklets, one thing that doesn't
immediately stand out are the prices. They look so regular. $49.95 for
a brand new game in 1992? Why, that's what we pay today! I guess some
things never change.

Except all games did not cost that back then, and games today cost a
hell of a lot more.

I have multiple games on my steam wishlist, waiting until they are on
enough of a sale to be worth getting, because the base price is $90 and
then there's the tax on top of that.

<snip

Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)

I had this game back in the day, and I sure as hell did not pay $80 for
it, more like $25 CDN.

Back then I don't think I ever paid more than $40 for any game.

Round the time of Skyrim I think average game prices were more like $60
which makes the current norm of $90 plus taxes a bit steep considering
the quality of gameplay we're actually getting in comparison to those
older games.

Just checked the box, City of Heroes, bought new May 6th, 2004; $59.99
CDN sticker on the front.

That's what I remember as the norm back then, $60 for a AAA game, and DLCs/expansions ranged from $15 to $40 depending on how much they added.

The quality seems to have gone way down, plus the intrusive asking for
MTX all the time, and DLCs that are just core gameplay they took out to
sell you separately. (As though they sold cars, but only the Driver's
seat came standard, all the others were addons you had to buy.)

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:57:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> wrote:

TITLE PRICE (year) / PRICE (2026) >----------------------------------------------------------------
Darklands $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Deluxe Paint IV (Amiga)** $199.95 (1992) / $445.48 (2026)
Eye of the Beholder II $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
F-15 Strike Eagle III $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
H.E.R.O. (Apple II)*** $39.95 (1994) / $123.79 (2026)
Kings Quest V $59.95 (1991) / $141.71 (2026)
Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Magic Candle III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Mean Streets $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Michael Jordan in Flight $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Might & Magic III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
No Greater Glory $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
OriginFX**** $39.95 (1992) / $91.67 (2026)
Rex Nebular $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
SimCity (Mac Color version)*****$79.95 (1989) / $207.58 (2026)
Star Legions $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
Ultima VII Serpent Island $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)

I purchased several of these games when they were new and I never paid
these prices. I sure as hell did not pay $80 for Ultima VII or $70 for
Rex Nebular. These prices listed here are MSRP, not actual store
price.
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