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, , Grand Theft Auto III, , , 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, , Operation Flashpoint, Pikmin, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Serious Sam, and Tropico.
Three major video game systems were released in 2001: the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo, and the Xbox by Microsoft.[1] Sega, which had been a major competitor in the video game hardware market to this point, ended its involvement in the market after the failure of the Dreamcast.[2] The year 2001 is remembered for its influence on the video game industry with the release of many games recognized as classics.[3] [4] Many video games released in 2001 defined or redefined their respective genres, including hack and slash game Devil May Cry,[5] [6] first-person shooter game ,[7] [8] and open world action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto III, which is regarded as an industry-defining work.[9] [10]
The year has been retrospectively considered one of the best and most important in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential titles across all platforms and genres at the time. It was the peak year for the sixth generation of video game consoles, with the launch of the GameCube and Xbox, the latter focusing on online games (following SegaNet the previous year), and the Dreamcast's last year of production with Sega's exit from console manufacturing. Storytelling and mature themes also became a more mainstream trend.[11] [12] The year's best-selling video game worldwide was Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, the fourth year in a row for the Pokémon series (since 1998). The year's most critically acclaimed titles were Gran Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X in Japan, and Halo and Grand Theft Auto III in the West.
| Month | Day | Console | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 21 | Game Boy Advance | |
| September | 14 | GameCube | |
| November | 15 | Xbox |
In Japan, the following video game releases in 2001 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[13]
| Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 | Sony | Racing simulation | 39 | ||
| Final Fantasy X | PlayStation 2 | Squaresoft | Role-playing | 39 | |
| Game Boy Color | Chunsoft | Roguelike | 38 | ||
| PlayStation 2 | Konami | Stealth | 38 | ||
| Culdcept Second | Dreamcast | Media Factory | Turn-based strategy | 37 | |
| Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Super Smash Bros. Melee) | GameCube | Nintendo | Fighting | 37 | |
| Dōbutsu no Mori + (Animal Crossing) | GameCube | Nintendo | Social simulation | 37 | |
| (The Last Hope) | Game Boy Advance | Enix | Roguelike | 36 | |
| Madden NFL 2001 | PlayStation 2 | Square EA | Sports | 35 | |
| Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords) | PlayStation 2 | Capcom | Hack and slash | 35 | |
| Kessen II | PlayStation 2 | Koei | Real-time tactics | 35 | |
| Crazy Taxi 2 | Dreamcast | Sega | Driving | 35 | |
| Zeonic Front: Kidō Senshi Gundam 0079 (Mobile Suit Gundam) | PlayStation 2 | Bandai | Strategy | 35 | |
| Dreamcast, PS2 | Capcom | Fighting | 35 | ||
| Magical Vacation | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | Role-playing | 35 | |
| Battle Network Rockman EXE 2 (Mega Man Battle Network 2) | Game Boy Advance | Capcom | Tactical role-playing | 35 |
In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
| Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | United States[18] | Combined | |||||
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | Game Boy Color | Nintendo | 826,125 | 3,127,659 | 3,953,784 | |
| 2 | Final Fantasy X | PlayStation 2 | Squaresoft | 2,434,015 | 746,632[19] | 3,180,647 | |
| 3 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | 1,656,959 | 1,172,322 | 2,829,281 | ||
| 4 | PlayStation 2 | Konami | 750,560 | 1,800,000+[20] | 2,550,560+ | ||
| 5 | Madden NFL 2002 | PS2, PlayStation | EA Sports | 2,220,112 | 2,220,112 | ||
| 6 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages | Game Boy Color | Nintendo | 772,858 | 1,248,191 | 2,021,049 | |
| 7 | Grand Theft Auto III | PlayStation 2 | Rockstar | 1,965,832 | 1,965,832 | ||
| 8 | Super Mario Advance | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | 777,899 | 1,172,323+[21] | 1,950,222+ | |
| 9 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | PlayStation, PC | EA | 83,954 | 1,628,744 | 1,712,698 | |
| 10 | The Sims | PC | EA | 1,482,182[22] | 1,482,182 | ||
| Title | Platform(s) | Sales revenue | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA[23] | Europe | Combined | Inflation | ||||
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | GBC | €221,000,000 | $289,038,324 | $ | ||
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto III | PlayStation 2 | €54,000,000 | $146,940,325 | $ | ||
| 3 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Multi-platform | €92,000,000 | $137,148,445 | $ | ||
| 4 | PlayStation 2 | €64,000,000 | $115,264,403 | $ | |||
| 5 | Madden NFL 2002 | PS2, PS1 | $110,000,000+ | $+ | |||
| 6 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | Multi-platform | €24,000,000 | $102,000,000 | $ | ||
| 7 | PlayStation 2 | + | $87,000,000+ | $+ | |||
| 8 | The Sims | PC | $60,499,079 | €25,000,000 | $82,499,079 | $ | |
| 9 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | + | €23,000,000 | $56,000,000+ | $+ | |
| 10 | FIFA Football 2002 | Multi-platform | €52,000,000 | $47,000,000+ | $+ | ||
| 1 | Final Fantasy X | PS2 | 2,434,015 | ¥17,600,000,000+ (+) | $+ | [24] [25] |
| 2 | PS2 | 1,656,959 | ||||
| 3 | Dragon Quest Monsters 2 | PlayStation | 1,138,756 | [26] | ||
| 4 | PlayStation | 1,039,443 | ||||
| 5 | Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords) | PS2 | 1,000,000+ | [27] [28] | ||
| 6 | Minna no Golf 3 (Everybody's Golf 3) | PS2 | 871,167 | |||
| 7 | Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Smash Bros. Melee) | GameCube | 838,237 | |||
| 8 | Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon) | GBC | 826,125 | |||
| 9 | Winning Eleven 5 (Pro Evolution Soccer) | PS2 | 789,515 | |||
| 10 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | 777,899 | |||
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales | Revenue | Inflation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | Game Boy Color | 3,127,659 | $ | |||
| 2 | Madden NFL 2002 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation | 2,220,112 | $ | |||
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto III | PlayStation 2 | 1,965,832 | $ | |||
| 4 | PlayStation 2 | 1,800,000+ | + | $+ | |||
| 5 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation | 1,693,037 | $ | |||
| 6 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | PlayStation, PC | 1,628,744 | $ | |||
| 7 | The Sims | PC | 1,482,182 | $60,499,079 | $ | ||
| 8 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages | Game Boy Color | 1,248,191 | $ | |||
| 9 | Super Mario Advance | Game Boy Advance | 1,172,323+ | + | $+ | ||
| 10 | PlayStation 2 | 1,172,322 | $ |
| 1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | Game Boy Color | Nintendo | Role-playing | €221,000,000 | $ | |
| 2 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Multi-platform | Electronic Arts | Action-adventure | €92,000,000 | $ | |
| 3 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | Racing sim | €64,000,000 | $ | ||
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto III | PlayStation 2 | Rockstar Games | Action-adventure | €54,000,000 | $ | |
| 5 | FIFA Football 2002 | Multi-platform | EA Sports | Sports | €52,000,000 | $ | |
| 6 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Multi-platform | Eidos Interactive | Quiz | €33,000,000 | $ | |
| 7 | FIFA 2001 | Multi-platform | EA Sports | Sports | €31,000,000 | $ | |
| 8 | Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Role-playing | €30,000,000 | $ | |
| 9 | Black & White | PC | Electronic Arts | God game | €28,000,000 | $ | |
| 10 | The Sims | PC | Electronic Arts | Life simulation | €25,000,000 | $ |
| 1 | Pokémon Crystal | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | Role-playing |
| 2 | Pokémon Gold | ||||
| 3 | Pokémon Silver | ||||
| 4 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | PlayStation | Argonaut Games | Electronic Arts | Action-adventure |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Game Boy Color | Griptonite Games | Role-playing | |
| 6 | PlayStation 2 | Polyphony Digital | Sony | Racing simulation | |
| 7 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | |||
| 8 | Pokémon Stadium 2 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Turn-based strategy |
| 9 | Super Mario Advance | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo R&D2 | Platformer | |
| 10 | PlayStation | Naughty Dog | Sony |
| 1 | Canvas Shot / Flash Shot / Chaopi | Omron | Omron | Other | Purikura | 8712 | |
| 2 | Derby Owners Club | Sega AM3 | Sega | Dedicated | Simulation | 3837 | |
| 3 | Battle Gear 2 | Taito | Taito | Dedicated | Racing | 2601 | |
| 4 | Tekken Tag Tournament | Namco | Namco | Software | Fighting | 2568 | |
| 5 | Shakatto Tambourine (Samba de Amigo) | Sega | Sega | Dedicated | Rhythm | 2523 | |
| 6 | Time Crisis 2 | Namco | Namco | Dedicated | Light gun shooter | 2400 | |
| 7 | The King of Fighters 2000 | SNK | SNK | Software | Fighting | 2382 | |
| 8 | Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000 | Sega AM2 | Sega | Software | Sports | 2345 | |
| 9 | Street Snap EG | Hitachi | Hitachi | Other | Purikura | 2291 | |
| 10 | Kidō Senshi Gundam: Renpō vs. Zeon (Federation vs. Zeon) | Capcom | Banpresto | Software | Third-person shooter | 2280 |
| Month | Day(s) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| January | 29 | Infogrames acquired Hasbro Interactive, including the Game.com division, the MicroProse and Atari labels, and a right to publish and develop games based on Hasbro properties. Paradigm Entertainment was also acquired.[32] |
| 31 | Sega announced it would be departing from the console market[33] and discontinuing the Dreamcast, and develop and publish games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.[34] |
| Release | Title | Windows | 5th Gen | 6th Gen | Handheld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 4 | RuneScape | |||||
| January 10 | Mega Man 64 | |||||
| January 16 | Mario Tennis | GBC | ||||
| January 29 | Oni | Win | ||||
| January 29 | Phantasy Star Online | |||||
| January 30 | ||||||
| January 31 | Mega Man X5 | Win (2002) | ||||
| February 5 | Paper Mario | |||||
| February 6 | GBC | |||||
| February 6 | Metal Walker | GBC | ||||
| February 7 | Clive Barker's Undying | |||||
| February 16 | Final Fantasy IX | PS1 (EU) | ||||
| February 20 | Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers | GBC | ||||
| February 27 | GBC (JP) | |||||
| March 1 | Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge | GBC, GBA | ||||
| March 5 | Conker's Bad Fur Day | |||||
| March 6 | The Bouncer | |||||
| March 9 | Sonic Shuffle | |||||
| March 12 | ||||||
| March 13 | ||||||
| March 13 | Unreal Tournament | |||||
| March 14 | ||||||
| March 15 | GBC | |||||
| March 20 | Summoner[36] | Win | ||||
| March 21 | Daytona USA | |||||
| March 21 | Tribes 2 | |||||
| March 21 | Serious Sam: The First Encounter | |||||
| March 22 | ||||||
| March 23 | ||||||
| March 25 | Black & White | |||||
| March 26 | Pokémon Stadium 2 | N64 | ||||
| March 26 | GBC | |||||
| March 26 | Zone of the Enders | |||||
| March 27 | Rocket Power: Gettin' Air | GBC | ||||
| March 27 | Strikers 1945 II | |||||
| March 30 | Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine | GBC | ||||
| March 30 | N64 (EU) | |||||
| April 6 | Snoopy Tennis | GBC | ||||
| April 8 | Dr. Mario 64 | N64 | ||||
| April 11 | Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble | GBC | ||||
| April 12 | The Simpsons Wrestling | |||||
| April 16 | Illbleed | |||||
| April 16 | GBC | |||||
| April 19 | Spider-Man | |||||
| April 23 | ||||||
| April 30 | The Adventures of Cookie & Cream | |||||
| April 30 | ||||||
| May 7 | Mario Party 3 | |||||
| May 8 | ||||||
| May 14 | Crazy Taxi | |||||
| May 16 | Giga Wing 2 | |||||
| May 16 | Project Justice | |||||
| May 18 | ||||||
| May 21 | Cool Boarders | |||||
| May 22 | Red Faction | |||||
| May 28 | Crazy Taxi 2 | |||||
| May 29 | GBC | |||||
| May 30 | Bejeweled | |||||
| May 30 | GBC | |||||
| May 30 | ||||||
| June 11 | GBA | |||||
| June 11 | ChuChu Rocket! | GBA | ||||
| June 11 | Earthworm Jim | GBA | ||||
| June 11 | GBA | |||||
| June 11 | Konami Krazy Racers | GBA | ||||
| June 11 | Rayman Advance | GBA | ||||
| June 11 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | ||||
| June 14 | Atlantis: The Lost Empire | |||||
| June 18 | ||||||
| June 19 | Sonic Adventure 2 | |||||
| June 19 | Startopia[37] | Win | ||||
| June 20 | ||||||
| June 21 | ||||||
| June 22 | ||||||
| June 27 | Anachronox | |||||
| June 29 | Bomberman Tournament | GBA | ||||
| June 29 | Final Fantasy Chronicles | |||||
| July 1 | GBC | |||||
| July 6 | Win | |||||
| July 8 | ||||||
| July 10 | ||||||
| July 14 | Mega Man Legends | Win | ||||
| July 16 | GBA | |||||
| July 17 | City Crisis | |||||
| July 19 | Final Fantasy X | PS2 (JP) | ||||
| July 23 | Extermination | |||||
| July 23 | Max Payne | |||||
| July 28 | Rune: Viking Warlord | |||||
| July 29 | Pokémon Crystal (North America) | GBC | ||||
| July 30 | Tweety and the Magic Gems | GBA | ||||
| August 1 | Golden Sun | GBA | ||||
| August 1 | ||||||
| August 7 | WWF Betrayal | GBA | ||||
| August 8 | Mongol Invasion | |||||
| August 19 | Madden NFL 2002 | |||||
| August 20 | ||||||
| August 21 | ||||||
| August 27 | GBA | |||||
| August 27 | Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 | |||||
| August 28 | ESPN Final Round Golf 2002 | GBA | ||||
| August 29 | Alchemy | |||||
| September 6 | Shenmue II | |||||
| September 10 | Advance Wars | GBA | ||||
| September 10 | GBA | |||||
| September 10 | Portal Runner | |||||
| September 11 | The World Is Not Enough | GBC | ||||
| September 13 | ||||||
| September 13 | Ooga Booga | |||||
| September 15 | Power Rangers Time Force | GBA | ||||
| September 15 | GBA | |||||
| September 17 | Arctic Thunder | |||||
| September 18 | Red Faction[38] | Win | ||||
| September 21 | PS1 | |||||
| September 24 | Monster Rancher 3 | |||||
| September 24 | Phantasy Star Online Version 2 | |||||
| September 24 | Win | |||||
| September 24 | Silent Hill 2 | |||||
| September 24 | SpyHunter | |||||
| September 24 | ||||||
| September 25 | GBA | |||||
| September 26 | Bass Strike | |||||
| September 26 | GBA | |||||
| September 26 | Final Fight One | GBA | ||||
| September 26 | Kessen II | |||||
| September 30 | Ico | |||||
| October 1 | NASCAR Thunder 2002 | |||||
| October 1 | Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | GBA | ||||
| October 1 | Time Crisis II | |||||
| October 1 | ||||||
| October 2 | GBA | |||||
| October 3 | Lego Bionicle | GBA | ||||
| October 4 | Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | |||||
| October 5 | The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase | GBA | ||||
| October 8 | Castlevania Chronicles | |||||
| October 10 | Dark Age of Camelot | |||||
| October 12 | GBA | |||||
| October 15 | Lady Sia | GBA | ||||
| October 15 | GBA | |||||
| October 17 | Devil May Cry | |||||
| October 18 | E.T.: Digital Companion | GBC | ||||
| October 21 | Stronghold | |||||
| October 22 | Grand Theft Auto III | |||||
| October 24 | Virtua Tennis 2 | |||||
| October 28 | Doom | GBA | ||||
| October 28 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | |||||
| October 29 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | |||||
| October 29 | GBA | |||||
| October 30 | Aliens versus Predator 2 | |||||
| October 30 | Boxing Fever | GBA | ||||
| October 30 | Civilization III | |||||
| October 30 | Mega Man Xtreme 2 | GBC | ||||
| October 30 | Monsters, Inc. Scream Team | Win | PS1 | PS2 | ||
| October 30 | Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival | GBA | ||||
| October 31 | Soul Reaver 2 | |||||
| October 31 | Mega Man Battle Network | GBA | ||||
| November 1 | ||||||
| November 1 | Burnout | |||||
| November 1 | Dragon Warrior VII | |||||
| November 1 | FIFA Football 2002 | |||||
| November 1 | ||||||
| November 3 | Rocket Power: Dream Scheme | GBA | ||||
| November 5 | GBA | |||||
| November 5 | SSX Tricky | |||||
| November 7 | Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand | GBA | ||||
| November 9 | Project Gotham Racing | |||||
| November 11 | Golden Sun | GBA | ||||
| November 12 | Empire Earth | |||||
| November 12 | Gradius Advance | GBA | ||||
| November 12 | Survivor | |||||
| November 13 | ||||||
| November 13 | GBC | |||||
| November 13 | ||||||
| November 13 | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon | Win | ||||
| November 14 | Frank Herbert's Dune[39] | Win | PS2 | |||
| November 14 | Harvest Moon 3 GBC | GBC | ||||
| November 14 | Shrek | |||||
| November 15 | Cel Damage | Xbox, PS2, GCN | ||||
| November 15 | Dead or Alive 3 | |||||
| November 15 | ||||||
| November 15 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Win | PS1 | GBC, GBA | ||
| November 15 | GBA | |||||
| November 15 | Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee | |||||
| November 15 | Wizardry 8[40] | Win | ||||
| November 16 | Headhunter | |||||
| November 17 | NHL Hitz 2002 | |||||
| November 17 | ||||||
| November 18 | Crazy Taxi | |||||
| November 18 | Super Monkey Ball | |||||
| November 18 | IL-2 Sturmovik | |||||
| November 18 | Luigi's Mansion | GCN | ||||
| November 18 | WWF Road to Wrestlemania | GBA | ||||
| November 19 | Soul Reaver 2[41] | Win | ||||
| November 19 | Wario Land 4 | GBA | ||||
| November 19 | WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It | |||||
| November 20 | Frequency | |||||
| November 20 | Return to Castle Wolfenstein | |||||
| November 20 | PS2 | |||||
| November 21 | Ecks vs. Sever | GBA | ||||
| November 21 | GBA | |||||
| November 21 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | GCN (NTSC-J) | ||||
| November 22 | Mr. Driller G | PS1 (NTSC-J) | ||||
| November 23 | Gothic | |||||
| November 24 | GBA | |||||
| November 25 | ball | |||||
| November 26 | GBA | |||||
| November 26 | ||||||
| November 26 | ||||||
| November 27 | Extreme-G 3 | |||||
| November 27 | Lego Racers 2 | GBA | ||||
| November 28 | Cruis'n Velocity | GBA | ||||
| November 29 | Rampage Puzzle Attack | GBA | ||||
| November 30 | GBA | |||||
| December 1 | Breath of Fire | GBA | ||||
| December 1 | M&M's Blast! | GBA | ||||
| December 3 | ||||||
| December 3 | Pikmin | |||||
| December 3 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | GCN (NTSC-U) | ||||
| December 3 | ||||||
| December 4 | Mega Man X6 | |||||
| December 5 | American Bass Challenge | GBA | ||||
| December 7 | Cel Damage | |||||
| December 7 | Magical Vacation | GBA | ||||
| December 7 | PS2 (PAL & EU) | |||||
| December 9 | The Flintstones: Big Trouble in Bedrock | GBA | ||||
| December 12 | Mortal Kombat Advance | GBA | ||||
| December 12 | Shadow Hearts | |||||
| December 17 | Dark Rift (North America) | |||||
| December 18 | Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure | |||||
| December 19 | ||||||
| December 20 | Final Fantasy X | PS2 (US) | ||||
| December 20 | ||||||
| December 21 | Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut | |||||
| December 21 | Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | GBA |
The dominant video game console in 2001 was Sony's PlayStation 2.
Nintendo released the GameCube on September 14 in Japan (North America on November 18 and in Europe on May 3, 2002). Microsoft released the Xbox in North America on November 15 (in Europe on March 14, 2002).
The dominant handheld system in 2001 was Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21 (in North America on June 11 and Europe on June 22).