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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, Final Fantasy X-2, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Sonic Heroes, 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). The year's most critically acclaimed games were Grand Theft Auto Double Pack (compilation of Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City from previous years) and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (North American release of 2002 game).
Events
- February 27 – Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame.
- March 6–9 – Game Developers Conference hosts 3rd annual Game Developers Choice Awards and Gama Network's 5th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
- April 1 – Enix Corporation and Square Co., Ltd. officially merge, forming Square Enix Co., Ltd.
- May 14–16 – 9th annual E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) held at Los Angeles[1] Convention Center; 6th annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E3.
- July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 4th annual Executive Summit.
- July 16 – Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) renamed as Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
- September 12 – Valve releases their game distribution software Steam out of beta.
- October 1 – DreamWorks SKG and Tecmo announce a movie adaptation of the video game Fatal Frame has been fast-tracked with John Rogers and Steven Spielberg involvement.
- October 20 – Families of Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede, two young adults shot by teens William and Josh Buckner (who in statements to investigators claimed their actions were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III), file a US$246 million lawsuit against developer Rockstar Games, publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, retailer Walmart, and console-maker Sony Computer Entertainment America.
- October 31 – British Academy of Film and Television Arts announces that nominations for the 6th annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards will instead be split between the 1st annual BAFTA Games Awards for video game publications and (on November 24) the BAFTA Interactive Awards for multimedia technologies; ceremonies to be held in February 2004.
- November – Kazushige Nojima resigns from Square Enix.
- First PlayStation Portable prototype shown by Sony.
- Nintendo states that its next generation console would be fully compatible with the GameCube.
Business
- Early 2003 – Compile goes defunct.
- February 19 – Microsoft announces a deal to buy Connectix Corporation.
- Take-Two Interactive buys TDK Mediactive, Inc.
- May 7 – Infogrames Entertainment, SA rebrands all its subsidiaries under the Atari brand.
- Enix Corporation officially absorbs Square Co., Ltd., forming Square Enix Co., Ltd.
- CNN Money reports that video games are a US$10 billion industry
- April – Pan European Game Information (PEGI), a European video game content rating system, comes into use.
- May – The 3DO Company announces bankruptcy and closes down its New World Computing subsidiary.
- June 12 – Obsidian Entertainment founded.
- August 1 – Virgin Interactive is renamed to Avalon Interactive by its owner Titus Software.
- August – Microsoft announced ATI as the developer of the GPU for their next generation console, Project Xenon. Their previous contract with Nvidia was finished but the GPU of the Xbox continued in production.
- September – Silicon Dreams Studio goes defunct.
- December – Interplay closes its Black Isle Studios division.
- Late 2003 – Nintendo buys shares from Japanese toy and animation conglomerate Bandai making Nintendo one of Bandai's top 10 shareholders.
- Late 2003 – Data East goes defunct.
Hardware
Nokia N-Gage
| Month | Day | System |
|---|---|---|
| February | 14 | Game Boy Advance SPJP |
| October | 7 | N-Gage |
Discontinued
- March 23 – Nintendo stops production of the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color worldwide.
- September 23 – Nintendo stops production of the NES and Super NES worldwide.
Trends
Computer games continue to lose ground to console video games with a US sales drop of 14% in 2003.[2] 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.[3]
Video game consoles
The dominant video game consoles in 2003 were:
Handheld game systems
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.
Best-selling video games
| Game | Platform | Publisher | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan[4] | USA | Europe | Worldwide | |||
| Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire | GBA | Nintendo | 1,704,458 | 2,200,000+[5] | 1,500,000+[6] | 6,120,000[7] |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash | GameCube | Nintendo | 567,849 | 1,000,000+[8] | Unknown | 3,580,000[7] |
| Final Fantasy X-2 | PS2 | Square Enix | 2,000,000+[9] | 1,000,000[10] | Unknown | 3,400,000[10] |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (World Soccer Winning Eleven 7) | PS2 | Konami | 1,160,000[11] | — | 1,550,000[11] | 2,710,000[11] |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 | GBA | Nintendo | 457,095 | 1,100,000+[12][5] | Unknown | 2,590,000[7] |
| Madden NFL 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | — | 2,300,000+[13] | Unknown | 2,300,000+ |
| Mario Party 5 | GameCube | Nintendo | 481,053 | Unknown | Unknown | 1,640,000[7] |
| Enter the Matrix | PS2 | Infogrames | 92,459[14] | 1,000,000+[15] | 300,000+[16][17] | 1,392,459+ |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GameCube | Nintendo | 252,064 | 1,100,000+[5] | Unknown | 1,352,064+ |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar | — | 1,000,000+[12][8] | 300,000+[16][17] | 1,300,000+ |
Japan
| Rank | Game | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Fantasy X-2 | PS2 | Square Enix | Role-playing | 2,000,000+ | [9] |
| 2 | Pocket Monsters: Ruby / Sapphire (Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire) | GBA | The Pokémon Company | Role-playing | 1,704,458 | [4] |
| 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 | [11] |
| 5 | Minna no Golf 4 (Everybody's Golf 4) | PS2 | Sony | Sports | 875,252 | [4] |
| 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 |
United States
| Rank | Game | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madden NFL 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | Sports | 2,300,000+ | [13] |
| 2 | Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire | GBA | Nintendo | Role-playing | 2,200,000+ | [5] |
| 3 | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 | GBA | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,100,000+ | [12][5] |
| 4 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GameCube | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 1,100,000+ | [5] |
| 5 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar Games | Action-adventure | 1,000,000+ | [12][8] |
| 6 | Mario Kart: Double Dash | GameCube | Nintendo | Kart racing | 1,000,000+ | [8] |
| 7 | Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga | GBA | Nintendo | Role-playing | 1,000,000+ | [12][15] |
| 8 | Enter the Matrix | PS2 | Infogrames | Action-adventure | 1,000,000+ | [15] |
| 9 | Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | PS2 | Electronic Arts | First-person shooter | 1,000,000+ | [18][10] |
| 10 | NCAA Football 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports | Sports | 1,000,000+ | [18][10] |
PAL regions
| Rank | Australia[19] | United Kingdom[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Platform | Game | Platform(s) | Sales[17][20] | |
| 1 | EyeToy: Play | PS2 | FIFA Football 2004 | Multi-platform | 700,000+[21] |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Need for Speed: Underground | Multi-platform | 700,000[21] |
| 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+ |
Games with notable critical reception
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
Critically acclaimed games
Famitsu
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.[22]
| 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 | Nintendo 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 Enbukyoku (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 | Nintendo 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!! | Nintendo 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 |
Critically panned games
Notable releases
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See also
References
- ↑ "Attendance and Stats". IGN. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ↑ "The NPD Group Reports Overall Decrease in PC Software Sales for 2003" (Press release). NEW YORK: The NPD Group. February 5, 2004. Archived from the original on February 14, 2004. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Essential Facts" (PDF). Entertainment Software Association (ESA). 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 "2003 Top 100 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The Magic Box. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nintendo Makes Money". IGN. News Corporation. April 4, 2003. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
- ↑ Harris, Craig (October 27, 2003). "Pokemon Super Packs". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Gantayat, Anoop (May 31, 2004), "Mario Very Popular", IGN, retrieved November 8, 2021
- 1 2 3 4 Chad Phelps, January 14, 2004 Nintendo Shows Strong Sales Growth in 2003 Itprotoday.com
- 1 2 "Square Enix U.S.A. announces details for FINAL FANTASY X-2 and greatest hits version of FINAL FANTASY X". Square Enix. September 2, 2003. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Calvert, Justin (January 20, 2004). "Final Fantasy X-2 Sells a Million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2006.
- 1 2 3 4 "Non-Consolidated Financial Results for the Third Quarter Ended December 31, 2003" (PDF). Konami. January 29, 2004. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Annual 2003 Video Game Best-Selling Titles and Console Accessories". NPD World. The NPD Group. Archived from the original on April 11, 2004. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- 1 2 "PlayStation 2 Vs. Xbox". Forbes. December 22, 2003. Archived from the original on April 4, 2004. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ↑ "2003 Top 300". Game Data Library. Famitsu. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- 1 2 3 Andrew, Burnes (June 3, 2003), "Enter The Matrix Sells 1 Million In US, Becomes Biggest Selling Atari Game Ever", IGN, retrieved November 5, 2021
- 1 2 3 Hebblethwaite, Luke (April 9, 2020). "UK Top Selling Games 2003". Ukie. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- 1 2 3 Yeung, Karlie (January 8, 2004). "2003 UK Game Sales Highest Ever". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Arts and Media (Top-Selling Video Games, 2003)". The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2005. New York: World Almanac Books, St. Martin's Press. 2005. pp. 300–301 (300). ISBN 978-0-88687-939-6 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "Top 20 Console Games Ranked by Units Sold, 1998–2013". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Big year for computer game sales". BBC News. January 11, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- 1 2 Reed, Kristan (January 20, 2004). "UK Charts: A month in the top spot for Need for Speed". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ↑ "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧" [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review Platinum Hall of Fame Software List]. Geimin (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ↑ "Best Video Games for 2003". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2003 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- 1 2 "Best Video Games for 2004". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- 1 2 "Highest-Ranking Games of 2004 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ↑ "Worst Video Games for 2003". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Lowest-Ranking Games of 2003 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Gods and Generals for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Ultimate Demolition Derby for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Interstellar Trader 2 for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "RoboCop for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
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