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2003 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Tony Hawk's Underground , Madden NFL 2004 , NBA Live 2004 , ESPN NBA Basketball , Saya no Uta: The Song of Saya , Final Fantasy X-2 , Mario Kart: Double Dash , Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga , Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time , Sonic Heroes , Postal 2 , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , Uru: Ages Beyond Myst , and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain . New intellectual properties included Beyond Good & Evil , Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand, Call of Duty , Disgaea, Drakengard, Manhunt , PlanetSide , TrackMania, True Crime: Streets of LA , and Viewtiful Joe . The year's best-selling video game worldwide was Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire , the fifth time a Pokémon games was the annual worldwide top-seller (since 1998).
Month | Day | System |
---|---|---|
February | 14 | Game Boy Advance SP JP |
October | 7 | N-Gage |
Computer games continue to lose ground to console video games with a US sales drop of 14% in 2003. [3] Total 2003 entertainment software sales in the United States grew slightly to US$7 billion; console sales increased to $5.8 billion and computer games accounted for the remaining $1.2 billion. [4]
The dominant video game consoles in 2003 were:
The dominant handheld systems in 2003 were:
Additionally, two new handheld consoles were introduced in 2003, the Game Boy Advance SP (an enhanced GBA) and Nokia's N-Gage.
Game | Platform | Publisher | Sales | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan [5] | USA | Europe | Worldwide | |||
Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire | GBA | Nintendo | 1,704,458 | 2,200,000+ [6] | 1,500,000+ [7] | 6,120,000 [8] |
Mario Kart: Double Dash | GameCube | Nintendo | 567,849 | 1,000,000+ [9] | Unknown | 3,580,000 [8] |
Final Fantasy X-2 | PS2 | Square Enix | 2,000,000+ [10] | 1,000,000 [11] | Unknown | 3,400,000 [11] |
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (World Soccer Winning Eleven 7) | PS2 | Konami | 1,160,000 [12] | — | 1,550,000 [12] | 2,710,000 [12] |
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 | GBA | Nintendo | 457,095 | 1,100,000+ [13] [6] | Unknown | 2,590,000 [8] |
Madden NFL 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | — | 2,300,000+ [14] | Unknown | 2,300,000+ |
Mario Party 5 | GameCube | Nintendo | 481,053 | Unknown | Unknown | 1,640,000 [8] |
Enter the Matrix | PS2 | Infogrames | 92,459 [15] | 1,000,000+ [16] | 300,000+ [17] [18] | 1,392,459+ |
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GameCube | Nintendo | 252,064 | 1,100,000+ [6] | Unknown | 1,352,064+ |
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar | — | 1,000,000+ [13] [9] | 300,000+ [17] [18] | 1,300,000+ |
Rank | Game | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Final Fantasy X-2 | PS2 | Square Enix | Role-playing | 2,000,000+ | [10] |
2 | Pocket Monsters: Ruby / Sapphire (Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire) | GBA | The Pokémon Company | Role-playing | 1,704,458 | [5] |
3 | Shin Sangokumusou 3 (Dynasty Warriors 4) | PS2 | Koei | Hack and slash | 1,178,455 | |
4 | World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 (Pro Evolution Soccer 3) | PS2 | Konami | Sports | 1,160,000 | [12] |
5 | Minna no Golf 4 (Everybody's Golf 4) | PS2 | Sony | Sports | 875,252 | [5] |
6 | Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart | GBA | Square Enix | Role-playing | 593,458 | |
7 | Mobile Suit Gundam: Meguriai Sora | PS2 | Bandai | Third-person shooter | 577,972 | |
8 | Mario Kart: Double Dash | GameCube | Nintendo | Kart racing | 567,849 | |
9 | Made in Wario | GBA | Nintendo | Party | 556,806 | |
10 | Dragon Ball Z (Dragon Ball Z: Budokai) | PS2 | Bandai | Fighting | 543,312 |
Rank | Game | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Madden NFL 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | Sports | 2,300,000+ | [14] |
2 | Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire | GBA | Nintendo | Role-playing | 2,200,000+ | [6] |
3 | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 | GBA | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,100,000+ | [13] [6] |
4 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GameCube | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 1,100,000+ | [6] |
5 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar Games | Action-adventure | 1,000,000+ | [13] [9] |
6 | Mario Kart: Double Dash | GameCube | Nintendo | Kart racing | 1,000,000+ | [9] |
7 | Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga | GBA | Nintendo | Role-playing | 1,000,000+ | [13] [16] |
8 | Enter the Matrix | PS2 | Infogrames | Action-adventure | 1,000,000+ | [16] |
9 | Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | PS2 | Electronic Arts | First-person shooter | 1,000,000+ | [19] [11] |
10 | NCAA Football 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | Sports | 1,000,000+ | [19] [11] |
Rank | Australia [20] | United Kingdom [17] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Game | Platform | Game | Platform(s) | Sales [18] [21] | |
1 | EyeToy: Play | PS2 | FIFA Football 2004 | Multi-platform | 700,000+ [22] |
2 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Need for Speed: Underground | Multi-platform | 700,000 [22] |
3 | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | PS2 | Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
4 | V8 Supercars | PS2 | The Sims | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
5 | Pokémon Ruby | GBA | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
6 | Pokémon Sapphire | GBA | Enter the Matrix | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
7 | Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex | PS2 | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
8 | Need for Speed: Underground | PS2 | EyeToy: Play | PS2 | 300,000+ |
9 | Rugby League | PS2 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
10 | Enter the Matrix | PS2 | FIFA Football 2003 | Multi-platform | 300,000+ |
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
The following video game releases in 2002 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" and received Famitsu scores of at least 36 out of 40. [23]
Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operator's Side (Lifeline) | PlayStation 2 | Sony Computer Entertainment | Sony Computer Entertainment | Survival horror | 37 |
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution | PlayStation 2 | Sega AM2 | Sega | Fighting | 37 |
Mario & Luigi RPG (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) | GBA | AlphaDream | Nintendo | RPG | 37 |
Ikaruga | GameCube | Treasure | Atari | Shoot 'em up | 36 |
Shin Sangoku Musou 3 (Dynasty Warriors 3) | PlayStation 2 | Omega Force | Koei | Hack and slash | 36 |
Castlevania: Akatsuki no Menuetto (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow) | Game Boy Advance | Konami Tokyo | Konami | Action RPG | 36 |
Minna no GOLF Online | PlayStation 2 | Clap Hanz | Sony Computer Entertainment | Sports | 36 |
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 10 | GameCube | Pawapuro Production | Konami | Sports | 36 |
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 10 | PlayStation 2 | Pawapuro Production | Konami | Sports | 36 |
Bokura no Taiyou (Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand) | Game Boy Advance | Konami Tokyo | Konami | Action RPG | 36 |
World Soccer: Winning Eleven 7 (Pro Evolution Soccer 3) | PlayStation 2 | Konami Computer Entertainment Japan | Konami | Sports | 36 |
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | GameCube | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Racing | 36 |
Minna no GOLF 4 (Hot Shots Golf Fore!) | PlayStation 2 | Clap Hanz | Sony Computer Entertainment | Sports | 36 |
Biohazard Outbreak (Resident Evil Outbreak) | PlayStation 2 | Capcom Production Studio 1 | Capcom | Survival horror | 36 |
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Tetris Worlds is a version of the video game Tetris. Originally released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance, it was later released for Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in 2002. In 2003, an Xbox Live version titled Tetris Worlds Online and a single-disc compilation version were released for the Xbox. The latter was bundled with Xbox systems.
The year 2002 in video games saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2003, NBA Live 2003, NBA 2K3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, Final Fantasy XI, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Jet Set Radio Future, Metroid Prime, Onimusha 2, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pro Evolution Soccer 2, Resident Evil and Zero, Super Mario Sunshine,The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, along with new titles and franchises such as Battlefield, Dungeon Siege, Kingdom Hearts, Mafia, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, SOCOM, and Splinter Cell. The year's best-selling video game was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, while the year's most critically acclaimed titles were Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube.
In the history of video games, the sixth generation era is the era of computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming devices available at the turn of the 21st century, starting on November 27, 1998. Platforms in the sixth generation include consoles from four companies: the Sega Dreamcast (DC), Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2), Nintendo GameCube (GC), and Microsoft Xbox. This era began on November 27, 1998, with the Japanese release of the Dreamcast, which was joined by the PlayStation 2 on March 4, 2000, the GameCube on September 14, 2001 and the Xbox on November 15, 2001, respectively. On March 31, 2001, the Dreamcast was among the first to be discontinued, followed by Xbox in 2006, GameCube in 2007, and PlayStation 2 in January 2013. Meanwhile, the seventh generation of consoles started on November 22, 2005, with the launch of the Xbox 360.
2004 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2005, NBA Live 2005, ESPN NBA 2K5, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw, Doom 3, Dragon Quest VIII, Gran Turismo 4, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Myst IV: Revelation, Ninja Gaiden, Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen/Emerald, Everybody's Golf 4, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and World of Warcraft. New intellectual properties included Fable, Far Cry, FlatOut, Killzone, Katamari Damacy, Monster Hunter, N, Red Dead Revolver, SingStar, and Sacred. The Nintendo DS was also launched that year.
2005 saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Resident Evil 4, Black & White 2, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Mario Kart DS, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Myst V: End of Ages, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, and WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2006, alongside prominent new releases including Brain Age, F.E.A.R., Forza Motorsport, Dinosaur King, God of War, Guild Wars, Guitar Hero, Nintendogs, Onechanbara, Shadow of the Colossus, Madden NFL 06, NBA Live 06, NBA 2K6, and Sniper Elite. The seventh generation of video game consoles also began with the launch of the Xbox 360, while the Nintendo DS launched in PAL regions.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. It was published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color and GameCube. In 2002, it was published for the Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Windows, Mac OS, and the Nintendo 64. It was the final official release for the Nintendo 64 and the only game that was released for the system in 2002, the first game released for the PlayStation 2 supporting online play and was a launch title for the GameCube in North America and PAL regions.
2001 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2002, NBA Live 2002, NBA 2K2, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It, Capcom vs. SNK 2,Dead or Alive 3, Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Myst III: Exile, Crazy Taxi 2, SSX Tricky, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sonic Adventure 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and Virtua Fighter 4. New intellectual properties include Ace Attorney, Advance Wars,Animal Crossing, Burnout, Gothic, Black & White, Devil May Cry, Fatal Frame, Ghost Recon,Halo, Jak and Daxter, Max Payne, Oni, Onimusha: Warlords, Operation Flashpoint, Pikmin, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Serious Sam, and Tropico.
The year 2000 saw the release of numerous video games as well as the launch of the PlayStation 2. Critically acclaimed games originally released in 2000 include sequels such as Madden NFL 2001, NBA Live 2001, NBA 2K1, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, Baldur's Gate II, Diablo II, Dragon Quest VII, Final Fantasy IX, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, NFL 2K1, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, along with new intellectual properties such as Deus Ex, Jet Set Radio, Perfect Dark, Skies of Arcadia, The Sims, SSX, Vagrant Story, and Sin and Punishment. The year's best-selling home video games worldwide were Pokémon games for the third year in a row, while the highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Virtua Striker 2.
1999 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Heroes of Might and Magic III, System Shock 2, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Final Fantasy VIII, Age of Empires II, Crash Team Racing, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, Grand Theft Auto 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Chrono Cross, Unreal Tournament, Pokémon Gold and Silver, and Donkey Kong 64, along with new titles such as Super Smash Bros., Silent Hill, Syphon Filter, Driver, EverQuest, Homeworld, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Planescape: Torment.
1998 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as F-Zero X, Marvel vs. Capcom, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, Glover, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Fallout 2, Return to Krondor and Tomb Raider III, along with new titles such as Banjo-Kazooie, Half-Life, MediEvil, Radiant Silvergun, Spyro the Dragon, StarCraft and Xenogears.
1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Quake II, Mega Man Legends, Riven, Tomb Raider II, Dark Rift, Tekken 3 and Virtua Striker 2, along with new titles such as Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Gran Turismo, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto and Fallout.
1996 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario 64, Duke Nukem 3D, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Super Mario RPG, King's Field III, Virtua Fighter 3, along with new titles such as Blazing Heroes, NiGHTS into Dreams..., Crash Bandicoot, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Soul Edge, Quake and Tomb Raider.
1995 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest VI, Mega Man 7, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and Tekken 2, along with new titles such as Mario's Picross, Battle Arena Toshinden, Chrono Trigger, Rayman, Twisted Metal, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and Jumping Flash!
2006 saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, prominently including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Madden NFL 07, NBA Live 07, NBA 2K7, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007, Tony Hawk's Project 8, New Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, alongside many prominent new releases including Bully, Company of Heroes, Dead Rising, Gears of War, Just Cause, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Ōkami, Prey, Resistance: Fall of Man, Saints Row, and Thrillville. Two new home consoles were released during the year: Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3.
2007 saw many new installments in established video game franchises, such as Madden NFL 08, NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Halo 3, God of War II, Team Fortress 2, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. New intellectual properties included Assassin's Creed, BioShock, Crackdown, Crysis, Mass Effect, Portal, Rock Band, Skate, The Darkness, The Witcher, and Uncharted.
2008 saw many new installments in established video game franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Gears of War 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Persona 4, Fable II, Call of Duty: World at War, Mario Kart Wii, Madden NFL 09, NBA Live 09, NBA 2K9, and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009. New intellectual properties included Army of Two, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge, iRacing, Race Driver: Grid, and Spore.
Video gaming in the United States is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the country. The American video game industry is the largest video game industry in the world. According to a 2020 study released by the Entertainment Software Association, the yearly economic output of the American video game industry in 2019 was $90.3 billion, supporting over 429,000 American jobs. With an average yearly salary of about $121,000, the latter figure includes over 143,000 individuals who are directly employed by the video game business. Additionally, activities connected to the video game business generate $12.6 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025 the American gaming industry will reach $42.3 billion while worldwide gaming industry will possibly reach US$270 billion. The United States is one of the nations with the largest influence in the video game industry, with video games representing a significant part of its economy.
Final Fantasy III is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Matrix Software and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. It is a remake of the 1990 Famicom game Final Fantasy III, and marks the first time the game was released outside of Japan since its original launch.