History Recap / PlayerTwoStart

** Instead of a port to the Sega CD, ''VideoGame/{{Snatcher}}'' is ported to the Super Nintendo CD under the helm of Creator/MasahiroSakurai at HAL Labratories. With the Super Nintendo CD version being way more successful than the Sega CD in the our timeline, the game reaches around 400,000 copies, even with an M rating, and becomes a CultClassic that influences an entire generation of developers.[[note]]The Sega CD version in our timeline? Only a couple thousand copies. And it was rated T.[[/note]]

** ''VisualNovel/{{Policenauts}}'', which was planned to be localized in OTL but later dropped, actually comes overseas in 1996 for the SNES-CD thanks to the success of ''VideoGame/{{Snatcher}}''.

* ''Spy School'' is a hybrid of TTL's ''Totally Spies'' and ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', set in a high school where teenagers learn how to become superspies. It runs for five seasons, is one of Cartoon Network's biggest hits, and has insane ShipToShipCombat in it's fandom.

** ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' was actually planned as a Super Nintendo CD game from the beginning in OTL, and with the Nintendo-Sony deal sticking, the game — with no retooling needed to fit the limits of a SNES cartridge and utilizing two discs for the game — is a more fleshed-out game than OTL, with MultipleEndings and a better localization. The result goes on to be acclaimed as one of the SNES-CD's best games and, in time, one of the greatest [=RPGs=] ever made.

** Among the victims is one Michael "Burnie" Burns, co-founder of Creator/RoosterTeeth in OTL, butterflying away the creation of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' and ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''.

** Creator/ChrisColumbus directs a ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' movie starring Creator/GeorgeClooney as Mr. Fantastic, Creator/ChristinaApplegate as the Invisible Woman, Creator/NeilPatrickHarris as the Human Torch, and Creator/MichaelChiklis as the Thing with Creator/GaryOldman as Doctor Doom. Creator/DavidHasselhoff reprises his role as Nick Fury from the failed television pilot, preempting Creator/SamuelLJackson from the role. Fans generally hold a positive view of the film, praising Chiklis and Oldman's performances, but are lukewarm towards Clooney and Hasselhoff. The film underperforms at the box office due to a crowded blockbuster season but nevertheless has a sequel greenlit for 2002.

** Creator/RobertZemeckis directs a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' movie in 2003 and stars Creator/JoshuaJackson as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Creator/ChrisEvans as Harry Osborne, Creator/ScarlettJohansson as Mary-Jane Watson, Creator/JamesVanDerBeek as Flash Thompson, Creator/ChristopherLloyd as Uncle Ben, Creator/MarySteenburgen as Aunt May, Creator/JKSimmons as J. Jonah Jameson (just like the OTL) and Creator/JohnMalkovich as Otto Octavius/Doc Ock with Creator/KirstenDunst as Gwen Stacy (who appears in the sequel) and Creator/MichaelJFox as Dr. Curt Conners appearing in a post-credits scene in the film. The film was the highest-grossing film of TTL's 2003 and most critics and fans praised the film for its fidelity and faithfulness to the source material (much like the acclaim to the OTL film) with Creator/StanLee himself on record for saying that it was his favorite film adaptation. Fox would immediately greenlit two sequels: ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' for 2005 and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' for 2007 with Zemeckis and Gale back at the helm.

*** Warner Bros. filmed the sequel, ''Superman: Man of Steel'' back-to-back and was released in November 2000; like the previous two films, Campbell, Delany and Spacey all reprised their roles as well as Duncan reprising his role as John Henry Irons/Steel with Creator/AdamSandler and Creator/TedRaimi starring as the Toymaker and the Prankster, respectively. Despite positive reception, both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell announced their departures from any future ''Superman'' projects.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' has Lincoln Loud and his family be bunnies instead of humans.

** A CGI version of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' also airs on Cartoon Network, after the series performs a ChannelHop from PBS eight years earlier than OTL. The show ITTL is a noticeably [[TruerToTheText more faithful]] re-adaptation of ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' as opposed to being a continuation of the original model series as well as a slew on British actors lending their talents to the show, such as Creator/TimCurry, Creator/DavidTennant, and Creator/AngelaLansbury, among others.

** ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' was originally planned as a Super Nintendo CD game. With no retooling needed to fit the limits of a SNES cartridge, this means a more fleshed-out game than OTL, with MultipleEndings and a better localization. The result goes on to be acclaimed as one of the SNES-CD's best games and, in time, one of the greatest [=RPGs=] ever made.

* ''Film/HappyGilmore'' is never made, with Adam Sandler's next role after ''Film/BillyMadison'' instead being a movie called ''Barcode'', where he played a semi-comic, yet tragic, figure and love interest to Creator/MillaJovovich's character. [[PlayingAgainstType Sandler would be praised for his performance, and would be pursued for other dramatic roles]], such as his roles in ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' and ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' got him critical praise – even his supporting role in ''Film/{{Collateral}}'' got him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. However, when playing the character Maximus in the movie ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', his performance was deemed as weak in an otherwise good film.

* Creator/StevenSpielberg becomes the director for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Prequel Trilogy while Creator/GeorgeLucas takes on the role of producer/writer as he did with the first three films.

** ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' adds Asajj Ventress (played by Catherine [=McCormack=]) into the story as Dooku's lieutenant, not to mention that the adult Anakin Skywalker (played by Jonathan Brandis; whose suicide is butterflied away) instead of Creator/HaydenChristensen ITTL). Additionally, franchise veteran Creator/CarrieFisher serves as the script doctor for the film helping to rewrite the otherwise divisive scenes between Anakin and Padme on Naboo of OTL and turn those scenes into realistic and believable character development, which was praised by critics and audiences.
** Lucas never sells ''Star Wars'' to Disney with Kathleen Kennedy being completely absent from the franchise and focusing on other movies instead.
** Spielberg also directs the Sequel Trilogy starting with ''The Fated Crisis'' in 2011, which receives rave reviews from critics and becomes a box office success.

* ''As Gods'' is a disaster/superhero film directed by Creator/RolandEmmerich, which is a mix of OTL's ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' and ''Film/{{Chronicle}}'' and tells the story about six teenagers from across the world who suddenly gain godlike powers at the same time, but they all approach their powers in different ways. The film garners some large critical acclaim for the great performances from all the young actors, the visual effects and the genuinely good writing, and it's also a $1 billion dollar monster hit, spawning a franchise.

* ''Film/BatmanForever'' has a darker tone compared to OTL's version (but not to the extent of ''Film/BatmanReturns'') due to Creator/JoelSchumacher playing ''Snatcher'', and saw the value of a more mature storyline, and – with support from Creator/TimBurton – pushed back harder against Creator/WarnerBros [[ExecutiveMeddling and their efforts to make the film more marketable]]. Creator/ValKilmer, Creator/NicoleKidman, and Creator/JimCarrey retained their OTL roles and Creator/BillyDeeWilliams also retained his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face ([[TheOtherDarrin instead of being completely recasted]] by Creator/TommyLeeJones like in OTL), while Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio is casted as Dick Grayson/Robin instead of Creator/ChrisODonnell IOTL. [[Music/{{Selena}} Selena Quintanilla-Pérez]] contributes a song to the film's soundtrack, as well as performing said song at [=E3=] 1995. The film is far more successful than the OTL's film and it lead to Creator/WarnerBros pushing for more films based on DC comic superheroes, eventually leading to the emergence of a "DC Cinematic Universe" in the late '90s, which includes:

** An alternate version of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', which — much like ''Batman Forever'' — avoids many of the pitfalls of the OTL's film, with a script co-written by Boyd Kirkland of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fame. Both Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio reprised their roles as Batman and Robin, with Creator/ClaireDanes as Barbara Gordon – who, in this version of the film, becomes Batgirl after her father is taken hostage and injured by Rupert Thorne (played by Creator/JohnGoodman), and Creator/PatrickStewart is cast as Mr. Freeze (although Warner Bros. initally considered Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the role, but Schumacher rejected him due to a disappointing screen test). While the film is regarded as a step down from ''Batman Forever'', it does receives a much better critical reception than OTL's ''Batman and Robin''.
*** The fifth film, ''Batman Triumphant'', comes out in June 1999. Kilmer, [=DiCaprio=], and Danes all return as Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, and are accompanied by Music/{{Madonna}} as ComicBook/HarleyQuinn (who beat out ''[=GameTV=]''[='=]s Lyssa Fielding for the role), and Creator/BradDourif as Dr. Jonathan Crane, with Creator/JackNicholson and Creator/MichellePfeiffer reprising their roles as ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, respectively (who Batman has nightmares about). In the film, Harley Quinn is the Joker's daughter, and goes on a crime spree in an effort to imitate him, culminating in the twist that Dr. Crane was [[BigBad the true villain]] and that he was manipulating both Batman and Harley with his experimental fear toxin. Harley is ultimately saved (though locked away until the drugs wear off), and Dr. Crane/Scarecrow is defeated by Batman, Robin (who becomes Nightwing at the end of the film), and Batgirl. The film is probably the least well-received of the series; despite Madonna's performance as Harley Quinn was praised, Dr. Crane was seen as a weak villain even with Dourif's performance. However, it's still seen as decent and an appropriate sendoff for the "Burton/Schumacher ''Batman'' series".
** The first of a ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' trilogy is released in 1998 with Creator/RolandEmmerich and Dean Devlin behind it, having passed on the ''Film/{{Godzilla|1998}}'' adaptation in order to do it. The film — which partly adapts the ''Emerald Twilight'' storyline — stars Creator/BillyZane as Kyle Rayner, Creator/JoeMorton as John Stewart, Creator/RichardHarris as Ganthet, Creator/DeniseRichards as Alex [=DeWitt=], Creator/AdamBaldwin as Hal Jordan, and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger as the psychopathic Major Force. The film garners mixed-to-positive reviews; with the similarities to ''Franchise/StarWars'' (especially in its use of TheHerosJourney) are noted by many critics, Alex being gruesomely StuffedIntoTheFridge outrages many feminists, and the rather jarring ProductPlacement for the Ultra Nintendo (though it does produce a classic scene of Kyle making a construct of [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] in his final battle against Major Force). However, the overall arc of the film as well as the special effects and Schwarzenegger's performance (with his portrayal as Major Force was akin to his role in ''Film/TheTerminator'') was very well-received. The success of the film convinces Warner Bros. and DC that they don't have to depend on their "Big Two" superheroes, Superman and Batman, to carry all their films, and leads to plans to bring their B-list heroes to the big screen.

** In 2001, Fox and Marvel released ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' with ''Die Hard'' and ''Predator'' director, Creator/JohnMcTiernan directing the film and features Creator/CasperVanDien as the titular character, Creator/TomWelling, as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, Creator/DolphLundgren as Red Skull, Music/KylieMinogue as Peggy Carter, Kenneth Mars as Dr. Abraham Erskine, Creator/JamesGarner as Major Philip J. Fry, and Creator/TimCurry as Baron Heinrich Zemo. Arriving in theaters on November 9, 2001 – nearly two months after the 9/11 attacks, the film itself was in the late stages of post-production and the attacks had a negligible effect on the film, but did impact its marketing, which a more somber tone in remembrance of those that died. Fox and ''Captain America'' rode the resulting wave of patriotism and became the first film in cinematic history to break the $100 million mark with $107 million in ticket sales worldwide.

* Bobby Kotick is still hit with an massive sexual harassment lawsuit.

** In addition to having every single fighter return, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimae'' also has Raquel from ''Squad Four'', Toad and Veil from ''VideoGame/SuperMario'', Falco Lombardi from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', Florges from ''Pokemon: Amethyst & Topaz'', Marx from ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'', Mike Jones from ''VideoGame/{{Startropics}}'', Deathborn from ''F-Zero: FIRESTORM'', Vaon from ''Slaughtered Planet'', and [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]] as part of the base roster. The DLC introduces Sadira Blackheart from TTL's ''Blackheart'' series, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[Franchise/SuperMario Waluigi]], Ellie from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}: Order & Chaos'', and VideoGame/PacMan as part of the first DLC pack, Anna Goldstar from ''The Adventures of Anna Goldstar'', [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]], Ben Brochner from ''Ben Breaks the World'', and [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Crono]] as part of the second DLC pack, and [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]], Lucy Brunstein/Netizen X from ''Cyberwar'', [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Vault Boy]], Amity Blight from ''The Boiling Isles'' (TTL's version of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', which is a video game), and [[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]], in a subversion of Sakurai's "only video game characters" rule.

* When Apple pulls out of development of the game console they were working on with [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]], Bandai is left to shoulder the full weight of the failure of the Solaris (TTL's name for the UsefulNotes/{{Pippin}}). The company nearly goes bankrupt, saved only by ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' merchandise, and to stay afloat, they're forced to sell the rights to the VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}} to Creator/{{Hasbro}} (who turns it into a smash hit). Ultimately, Sega buys out what's left of the company for a song in 1998, liquidating it and taking control of its [=IPs=].

** An alternate version of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', which – much like ''Batman Forever'' — avoids many of the pitfalls of the OTL's film, with a script co-written by Boyd Kirkland of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fame. Both Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio reprised their roles as Batman and Robin, with Creator/ClaireDanes as Barbara Gordon — who, in this version of the film, becomes Batgirl after her father is taken hostage and injured by Rupert Thorne (played by Creator/JohnGoodman), and Creator/PatrickStewart as Mr. Freeze (although Warner Bros. initally considered Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, but Schumacher rejected him due to a disappointing screen test). While the film is regarded as a step down from ''Batman Forever'', it does receives a much better critical reception than OTL's ''Batman and Robin''.

** An alternate version of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', which – much like ''Batman Forever'' — avoids many of the pitfalls of the OTL's film, with a script co-written by Boyd Kirkland of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fame. Both Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio reprise their roles as Batman and Robin, with Creator/ClaireDanes as Barbara Gordon — who ITTL becomes Batgirl after her father is taken hostage and injured by Rupert Thorne (played by Creator/JohnGoodman), and Creator/PatrickStewart as Mr. Freeze (although Warner Bros. initally considered Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, but Schumacher rejected him due to a disappointing screen test). While the film is regarded as a step down from ''Batman Forever'', it does receives a much better critical reception than OTL's ''Batman and Robin''.

*** The fifth film, ''Batman Triumphant'', comes out in June 1999. Kilmer, [=DiCaprio=], and Danes all return as Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, and are accompanied by Music/{{Madonna}} as ComicBook/HarleyQuinn (who beat out ''[=GameTV=]''[='=]s Lyssa Fielding for the role), and Creator/BradDourif as Dr. Jonathan Crane, with Creator/JackNicholson and Creator/MichellePfeiffer reprising their roles as ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, respectively
(who Batman has nightmares about). In the film, Harley Quinn is the Joker's daughter, and goes on a crime spree in an effort to imitate him, culminating in the twist that Dr. Crane was [[BigBad the true villain]] and that he was manipulating both Batman and Harley with his experimental fear toxin. Harley is ultimately saved (though locked away until the drugs wear off), and Dr. Crane/Scarecrow is defeated by Batman, Robin (who becomes Nightwing at the end of the film), and Batgirl. The film is probably the least well-received of the series; despite Madonna's performance as Harley Quinn was praised, Dr. Crane was seen as a weak villain even with Dourif's performance. However, it's still seen as decent and an appropriate sendoff for the "Burton/Schumacher ''Batman'' series".

** An alternate version of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', which – much like ''Batman Forever'' — avoids many of the pitfalls of the OTL's film, with a script co-written by Boyd Kirkland of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fame. Both Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio reprise their roles as Batman and Robin, with Creator/ClaireDanes as Barbara Gordon
— who ITTL becomes Batgirl after her father is taken hostage and injured by Rupert Thorne (played by Creator/JohnGoodman), and Creator/PatrickStewart as Mr. Freeze (although Warner Bros. initally considered Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, but Schumacher rejected him due to a disappointing screen test). While the film is regarded as a step down from ''Batman Forever'', it does receives a much better critical reception than OTL's ''Batman and Robin''.

** An alternate version of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' that, much like ''Forever'', avoids many of the pitfalls of OTL's film, with a script co-written by Boyd Kirkland of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' fame. Creator/ValKilmer and Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio return from ''Forever'' as Batman and Robin, while Creator/PatrickStewart plays Mr. Freeze (although Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was initially considered by the studio, but Schumacher rejected him due to a disappointing screen test). Creator/ClaireDanes plays Barbara Gordon, who ITTL becomes Batgirl after her father is taken hostage and injured by Rupert Thorne (played by Creator/JohnGoodman). While the film is regarded as a step down from ''Forever'', it receives a much better reception than OTL's ''Batman and Robin''.
*** The fifth film, ''Batman Triumphant'', comes out in June 1999. Kilmer, [=DiCaprio=], and Danes all return as Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, and are accompanied by Music/{{Madonna}} as ComicBook/HarleyQuinn (who beat out ''[=GameTV=]''[='=]s Lyssa Fielding for the role), Creator/BradDourif as Dr. Jonathan Crane, and Creator/JackNicholson and Creator/MichellePfeiffer reprising their roles as ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} (who Batman has nightmares about). In this version, Harley Quinn is the Joker's daughter, and goes on a crime spree in an effort to imitate him, culminating in the twist that Dr. Crane was [[BigBad the true villain]] and that he was manipulating both Batman and Harley with his experimental fear toxin. Harley is ultimately saved (though locked away until the drugs wear off), and Dr. Crane/Scarecrow is defeated by Batman, Robin (who becomes Nightwing at the end), and Batgirl. The film is probably the least well-received of the series; while Madonna was praised for her performance as Harley, Dr. Crane was seen as a weak villain even with Dourif's performance. However, it's still seen as decent, and an appropriate sendoff for the "Burton/Schumacher ''Batman'' series".
** The first of a ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' trilogy is released in 1998 with Creator/RolandEmmerich and Dean Devlin behind it, having passed on the ''Film/{{Godzilla|1998}}'' adaptation in order to do it. The film - which partly adapts the ''Emerald Twilight'' storyline - stars Creator/BillyZane as Kyle Rayner, Creator/JoeMorton as John Stewart, Creator/RichardHarris as Ganthet, Creator/DeniseRichards as Alex [=DeWitt=], Creator/AdamBaldwin as Hal Jordan, and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger as the psychopathic Major Force. The film garners mixed-to-positive reviews; with the similarities to ''Franchise/StarWars'' (especially in its use of TheHerosJourney) are noted by many critics, Alex being gruesomely StuffedIntoTheFridge outrages many feminists, and the rather jarring ProductPlacement for the Ultra Nintendo (though it does produce a classic scene of Kyle making a construct of [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] in his final battle against Major Force). However, the overall arc of the film as well as the special effects and Schwarzenegger's performance was very well-received (with Schwarzenegger's portrayal as Major Force was akin to his role in ''Film/TheTerminator''). The success of the film convinces Warner Bros. and DC that they don't have to depend on their "Big Two" superheroes, Superman and Batman, to carry all their films, and leads to plans to bring their B-list heroes to the big screen.
*** [[invoked]] There were two sequels to the above, ''Green Lantern: Chapter II — In Brightest Day'' and ''Green Lantern: Chapter III — The Blackest Night''. However, Emmerich and Devlin were not involved in these films; having departed the series due to CreativeDifferences, though they're replaced by Creator/RichardDonner and Creator/GeoffJohns. In ''Green Lantern: Chapter II — In Brightest Day'', both Zane and Harris reprise their roles as Kyle Rayner and Ganthet but Creator/WesleySnipes replaced Creator/JoeMorton as John Stewart, and features a new cast that includes Creator/ThomasFWilson as Guy Gardner, Creator/HalleBerry as Katma Tui, Creator/BruceGreenwood as Doctor Polaris, Creator/HugoWeaving as Sinestro, and Creator/DwayneJohnson as Mongul. While critics and casual viewers admit that the second film is superior to the first film, it's still uneven in terms of both its pacing and runtime.

* ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' gets a video game film adaptation, in which Joshua Fireseed (played by Creator/BrandonLee) must become the legendary warrior Turok and save a mystical realm from being taken over by a warlord called the Campaigner. Though it was a mediocre film, both Brandon Lee's performance and the special effects are acclaimed, and it's somewhat of a flop, only grossing $65 million domestically.

** ''Super Mario Dimensions'', the pack-in game at launch and a rough equivalent to ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' as the first fully-[=3D=] Mario game. The game is vastly larger than its OTL counterpart, taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom across 21 levels and four central hub worlds. Instead of jumping through paintings, Mario climbs through dimensional rifts (hence the title) to access the various levels. Luigi is also playable (rather than [[UrbanLegendOfZelda becoming a gaming urban legend]]), [[BraggingRightsReward unlocked]] once [[OneHundredPercentCompletion all 180 stars are collected]].
** ''Ultra VideoGame/MarioKart'', another launch title. It has the same character lineup as OTL's ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'', but with twenty tracks instead of sixteen, and six battle stages instead of four. There's also dialogue from the characters beyond cheers and grunts, as well as a LargeHam announcer, two things that the ''Mario Kart'' series never had in OTL.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', the biggest third-party launch title for the system, and the only launch title to use two discs. The gameplay and soundtrack are largely identical to OTL, outside of an optional multiplayer chocobo racing mode, and like OTL's game, it plays a huge role in raising the profile of [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] in the West. The plot, however, is very different, especially after the end of disc one, where Cloud's relationship values with Aeris, Tifa, and Barret determining which one of them dies. This is the result of the monumental success of ''Secret of Mana'', with its multiple paths and endings, influencing Creator/TetsuyaNomura and Yoshinori Kitase during development, and while Aeris' death is considered canon, debate rages on among fans as to which path was superior. Outside gaming, it also has a huge impact on voice acting; with its big-name voice cast consisting of both union and non-union actors, it plays a pivotal role in the unionization of anime dubbing.

** ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda: Temple of Time'', TTL's version of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and, like its OTL counterpart, a candidate for the title of the greatest video game ever made. Gameplay is similar to ''Ocarina'', although the graphics are heavily improved and the story now revolves around the seasons. It is another KillerApp for the Ultra Nintendo, surpassing even ''VideoGame/{{GoldenEye|1997}}'', though notably, its success doesn't put much of a dent in the sales of the Ring of Saturn.
*** ''Temple of Time'' is followed up by ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' in 2000. Graphics and gameplay are largely similar to OTL's game barring the increased graphical fidelity of the Ultra Nintendo, with the three-day time system and large number of magical masks carrying over largely unchanged. However, the Courage meter is replaced with a Temporal meter, which allows Link to spend some of the time he has left to gain boosts in battle. The story is similar to OTL, though expanded given the increased storage capabilities of optical media, with six dungeons instead of four and, in turn, six guardian spirits replacing the Four Giants; the expansion of the main quest renders the game somewhat more linear than OTL's game, with fewer sidequests. It is remembered as Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto's final game, debuting at [=E3=] 2000 less than two weeks after his sudden death, and the cloud of his passing [[DeadArtistsAreBetter undoubtedly colors the game's critical reception]]. It is seen as roughly on par with ''Temple of Time'', and it contends with ''Metroid: Darkness'' as one of the best games of the year, the two games helping to drive sales of the Ultra Nintendo during the 2000 holiday season.

* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' is released on time in 1998 instead of going through its infamous DevelopmentHell, with Creator/JohnRomero wisely scaling back his more ambitious designs. The general reception is that, while it isn't a world-changer, it's still a pretty good little shooter, and Romero's reputation isn't destroyed like it was in OTL.

* On May 6, 2000, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto dies when he is hit by a car while on his bicycle. ([[WordOfGod news articles from TTL]] states that, ironically, he was out to pick up ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' for the Sega Saturn.) This triggers a massive shakeup at Nintendo; Katsuya Eguchi is selected as his replacement as the director of the company's Entertainment Analysis and Development team, leading to ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' being put on the back burner as Eguchi worked on an ''VideoGame/IceClimber'' remake at that time.

** Also as a result, Nintendo gets over its reluctance to promote more mature games much faster ITTL. They quickly saw the potential of marketing their console to adults, and even go out of their way to ensure the SNES-CD port of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' is as close to the PC version as possible. As a result, Nintendo hastily shakes off the "kiddie" reputation of OTL, and retains considerable developer support.

* [[invoked]] Games that were [[NoExportForYou never released outside of Japan]] during the [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 8-bit]] and [[UsefulNotes/The16bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 16-bit]] eras in OTL get localized or RemadeForTheExport. Most notably, a large number of [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] cross the Pacific thanks to ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' raising the genre's profile much earlier in the timeline. It culminates in Nintendo marketing a "Year of the RPG" in 1996 towards the end of the SNES-CD's life, partly in order to slow the Sega Saturn's building momentum before they release the Ultra Nintendo; as Creator/JamesRolfe notes years later, it was effectively an attempt to pit gameplay and story against the Saturn's next-gen graphics, and one which had mixed results. Some of the games localized include:

** A Super Nintendo remake of ''[[VideoGame/{{Mother1}} Mother]]'', becoming this timeline's ''[=EarthBound=]'', the game's promotion not using any ToiletHumor. This is in contrast to the original NES game only leaving Japan 16 years later. As for the sequel (OTL's ''VideoGame/EarthBound''), it heads for the SNES-CD instead.

** ''Super Mario Dimensions'', the pack-in game at launch and a rough equivalent to ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' as the first fully-[=3D=] Mario game. Vastly larger than its OTL counterpart, it takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom across 21 levels and four central hub worlds. Instead of jumping through paintings, Mario climbs through dimensional rifts (hence the title) to access the various levels. Luigi is also playable (rather than an UrbanLegendOfZelda), [[BraggingRightsReward unlocked]] after [[OneHundredPercentCompletion collecting all 180 stars]].

* Nintendo's new deal with Sony includes provisions that Nintendo of America will not [[CensorshipBureau censor]] games for the CD add-on. As a result, ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 Mortal Kombat]]'' is released uncut on the SNES-CD. This gets Nintendo in as much hot water as Sega with Congress on the subject of video game violence, the hearings taking place September 1993 instead of December 1993. Following that, Nintendo heavily markets ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' during the 1993 holiday season as a way to combat the controversy, boosting the game's profile considerably.
** Also as a result, Nintendo gets over its reluctance to promote more mature games much quicker. They quickly see the potential of marketing their console to adults, and even go out of their way to ensure the SNES-CD port of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' is as close to the PC version as possible. As such, Nintendo quickly shakes off the "kiddie" reputation of OTL, and retains considerable developer support.
* In response to the SNES-CD's big 1993 holiday sales, Sega reorganizes their pre-Saturn plans. The 32X add-on is dropped, and instead Sega comes up with the Mega Charger, which is similar but, at only $50, is much cheaper. It combines the lock-on technology used in OTL's ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]'' with processing chips from Silicon Graphics. 30% of the eventual Genesis library would take advantage of it, with a dozen or so titles outright requiring it. Among those games: ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', which ITTL includes the ''Sonic & Knuckles'' content and becomes a KillerApp for the Mega Charger. The hardware would later be incorporated in a 1995 hardware revision of the Genesis and be included in the Genesis's portable incarnation, the Sega Venus.

* In general, with the existence of the Super Nintendo CD ITTL, games that were originally released for the SNES (and, in some cases, the Genesis/Sega CD) become Super Nintendo CD games instead. By late 1994, Nintendo and their third party developers would begin shifting all their efforts purely to the SNES-CD.

** ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' was in fact originally planned to be a SNES-CD game. With no retooling needed to fit the limits of a Super Nintendo cartridge, this means a more fleshed-out game than OTL, with MultipleEndings and a better localization. The result goes on to be acclaimed as one of the SNES-CD's best games and, in time, one of the greatest [=RPGs=] ever made.

** Instead of a port to the Sega CD, ''VideoGame/{{Snatcher}}'' is ported to the SNES-CD under the helm of Creator/MasahiroSakurai at HAL Labratories. With the SNES-CD way more successful than the Sega CD in the our timeline, the game reaches around 400,000 copies, even with an M rating, and becomes a CultClassic that influences an entire generation of developers.[[note]]The Sega CD version in our timeline? Only a couple thousand copies. And it was rated T.[[/note]]

* With the early success of the SNES-CD, Sega of America's president Tom Kalinske convinces his bosses in Japan to work with Silicon Graphics, resulting in the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn having the guts of OTL's UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}. Also, the Saturn's surprise North American release at E3 1995 is butterflied away thanks to an ExecutiveVeto on Sega of America head Tom Kalinske's part overriding Sega of Japan's desire to get a head-start on Nintendo. As a result, its release on "Saturnday", September 2, 1995 gives developers plenty of time to finish games for it, and it enjoys just as much success in the US as in Japan. Alongside securing [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]] and Creator/{{Enix}} as Saturn-only developers, it nabs a number of early exclusives that went to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation IOTL. Its big games include:

* With no deal with Philips, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi is just a footnote in gaming history. The [[VideoGame/HotelMario Mario]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames Zelda]] CD-i games of OTL never get made, and never get used in WebAnimation/YouTubePoop parodies. Instead ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' gets [[DivorcedInstallment all the Mario elements removed]] and is released as a SNES-CD game called ''Hotel Havoc'', which even gets a sequel.
* In general, with the existence of the SNES-CD, games that originally released on the Super Nintendo (and, in some cases, the Genesis/Sega CD) become SNES-CD games instead. In fact, by late 1994 Nintendo and their third party developers would begin shifting all their efforts purely to the SNES-CD.