2001 in video games

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.

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 Halo: Combat Evolved,^[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 influential 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.

Hardware releases

Game Boy Advance

Month	Day	Console
March	21	Game Boy Advance
September	14	GameCube
November	15	Xbox
	16	Pokémon Mini[13]

Top-rated games

Major awards

Critically acclaimed titles

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

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.^[14]

Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Genre	Score (out of 40)
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PlayStation 2	Sony	Racing simulation	39
Final Fantasy X	PlayStation 2	Squaresoft	Role-playing	39
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren GB2	Game Boy Color	Chunsoft	Roguelike	38
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	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
Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 (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
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001	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

Metacritic and GameRankings

In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

2001 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)^[15][16]

Game	Publisher	Release Date	Platform(s)	MC score	GR score
Halo: Combat Evolved	Microsoft Game Studios	November 15, 2001	Xbox	97/100	95.54%
Grand Theft Auto III	Rockstar Games	October 22, 2001	PlayStation 2	97/100	95.19%
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	Konami	November 13, 2001	PlayStation 2	96/100	95.09%
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	Sony Computer Entertainment	April 28, 2001	PlayStation 2	95/100	94.54%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Activision	October 30, 2001	PlayStation 2	97/100	93.43%
Devil May Cry	Capcom	August 23, 2001	PlayStation 2	94/100	92.6%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Activision	June 11, 2001	Game Boy Advance	95/100	89.88%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	August 19, 2001	PlayStation 2	94/100	92.32%
NBA 2K2	Sega	October 24, 2001	Dreamcast	93/100	92.82%
Mario Kart: Super Circuit	Nintendo	July 21, 2001	Game Boy Advance	93/100	91.54%
SSX Tricky	EA Sports	November 5, 2001	PlayStation 2	92/100	92.49%
Advance Wars	Nintendo	September 10, 2001	Game Boy Advance	92/100	92.38%
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	Nintendo	December 14, 2001	Game Boy Advance	92/100[17]	92.36%[18]
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages	Nintendo	February 27, 2001	Game Boy Color	—	92.2%
Final Fantasy X	Square	July 19, 2001	PlayStation 2	92/100	91.73%
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Nintendo	November 21, 2001	GameCube	92/100	90.52%
Conker's Bad Fur Day	Rare	March 5, 2001	Nintendo 64	92/100	89.28%
NHL 2002	EA Sports	September 24, 2001	PlayStation 2	92/100	88.84%
Pro Evolution Soccer	Konami	March 15, 2001	PlayStation 2	—	91.69%
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons	Nintendo	February 27, 2001	Game Boy Color	—	91.37%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Activision	November 18, 2001	GameCube	91/100	91.12%
IL-2 Sturmovik	1C Company	November 18, 2001	Windows	91/100	90.65%
Golden Sun	Nintendo	August 1, 2001	Game Boy Advance	91/100	89.1%
Twisted Metal: Black	Sony Computer Entertainment	June 18, 2001	PlayStation 2	91/100	88.52%
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon	Konami	March 21, 2001	Game Boy Advance	91/100	88.11%
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil	Namco	March 22, 2001	PlayStation 2	91/100	84.76%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	November 17, 2001	GameCube	89/100	90.39%
Ico	Sony Computer Entertainment	September 24, 2001	PlayStation 2	90/100	90.29%
NCAA Football 2002	EA Sports	July 23, 2001	PlayStation 2	90/100	90.25%
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	Sony Computer Entertainment	December 3, 2001	PlayStation 2	90/100	90.22%
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader	LucasArts	November 18, 2001	GameCube	90/100	90.04%
Black & White	Electronic Arts	March 30, 2001	Windows	90/100	89.79%
NFL 2K2	Sega	September 19, 2001	Dreamcast	90/100	89.35%
Civilization III	Infogrames	October 30, 2001	Windows	90/100	88.75%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	October 31, 2001	Xbox	90/100	88.72%
Unreal Tournament	Infogrames	March 13, 2001	Dreamcast	90/100	87.8%
Virtua Tennis 2	Sega	October 24, 2001	Dreamcast	90/100	87.22%
Dance Dance Revolution	Konami	March 6, 2001	PlayStation	90/100	83.63%
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002	Microsoft	October 16, 2001	Windows	90/100	82.44%
Shenmue II	Sega	September 6, 2001	Dreamcast	—	89.63%
Max Payne	Gathering of Developers	July 23, 2001	Windows	89/100	89.26%
NASCAR Racing 4	Sierra Entertainment	February 6, 2001	Windows	89/100	88.5%
NBA Street	EA Sports	June 19, 2001	PlayStation 2	89/100	86.92%
Pikmin	Nintendo	October 26, 2001	GameCube	89/100	86.71%
Final Fantasy Chronicles	Square	June 29, 2001	PlayStation	89/100	86.7%
NHL 2002	EA Sports	December 10, 2001	Xbox	89/100	86.33%
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies	Namco	September 13, 2001	PlayStation 2	89/100	86.07%
Max Payne	Rockstar Games	December 12, 2001	Xbox	89/100	85.95%
Silent Hill 2	Konami	September 24, 2001	PlayStation 2	89/100	85.82%
Sonic Adventure 2	Sega	June 23, 2001	Dreamcast	89/100	83.26%
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	Interplay Entertainment	June 22, 2001	Windows	88/100	88.73%
Super Monkey Ball	Sega	September 14, 2001	GameCube	87/100	88.7%
Red Faction	THQ	May 22, 2001	PlayStation 2	88/100	88.32%
Dark Age of Camelot	Vivendi Universal Games	October 10, 2001	Windows	88/100	88.08%
Return to Castle Wolfenstein	Activision	November 19, 2001	Windows	88/100	86.75%
SSX Tricky	EA Sports	December 10, 2001	Xbox	88/100	86.6%
Wario Land 4	Nintendo	August 21, 2001	Game Boy Advance	88/100	85.34%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	August 13, 2001	PlayStation	88/100	85.08%
Tribes 2	Sierra Entertainment	March 28, 2001	Windows	88/100	84.85%
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis	Nintendo	June 21, 2001	Game Boy Advance	88/100[17]	83.62%[18]

Financial performance

Best-selling home video games

Best-selling home video games in Japan and the United States

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Sales
				Japan	United States[19]	Combined
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	Game Boy Color	Nintendo	826,125[a]	3,127,659	3,953,784
2	Final Fantasy X	PlayStation 2	Squaresoft	2,434,015[20]	746,632[21]	3,180,647
3	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PlayStation 2	Sony	1,656,959[20]	1,172,322	2,829,281
4	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PlayStation 2	Konami	750,560[20]	1,800,000+[22]	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[20]	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[23]	1,172,323+[24][19]	1,950,222+
9	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	PlayStation, PC	EA	83,954[23]	1,628,744[19][25]	1,712,698
10	The Sims	PC	EA	—	1,482,182[25]	1,482,182

Highest-grossing home video games in the United States and Europe

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Sales revenue
			USA[19][24][26]	Europe[27]	Combined	Inflation
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	GBC	$91,038,324	€221,000,000 ($198,000,000)	$289,038,324	$513,000,000
2	Grand Theft Auto III	PlayStation 2	$98,940,325	€54,000,000 ($48,000,000)	$146,940,325	$261,000,000
3	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Multi-platform	$55,148,445[19][24][25]	€92,000,000 ($82,000,000)	$137,148,445	$244,000,000
4	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PlayStation 2	$58,264,403	€64,000,000 ($57,000,000)	$115,264,403	$205,000,000
5	Madden NFL 2002	PS2, PS1	$110,000,000	Un­known	$110,000,000+	$200,000,000+
6	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Multi-platform	$81,000,000	€24,000,000 ($21,000,000)	$102,000,000	$181,000,000
7	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PlayStation 2	$87,000,000+	—	$87,000,000+	$154,000,000+
8	The Sims	PC	$60,499,079[25]	€25,000,000 ($22,000,000)	$82,499,079	$147,000,000
9	Super Mario Advance	GBA	$37,000,000+	€23,000,000 ($21,000,000)	$56,000,000+	$99,000,000+
10	FIFA Football 2002	Multi-platform	Un­known	€52,000,000 ($47,000,000)	$47,000,000+	$83,000,000+

Japan

Best-selling home video games in Japan

Rank	Title	Platform	Sales	Sales revenue	Inflation	Ref
1	Final Fantasy X	PS2	2,434,015	¥17,600,000,000+ ($145,000,000+)	$257,000,000+	[20][28]
2	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	1,656,959	Un­known		[20]
3	Dragon Quest Monsters 2	PlayStation	1,138,756	Un­known		[23]
4	Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi	PlayStation	1,039,443	Un­known		[20]
5	Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords)	PS2	1,000,000+	Un­known		[29][30]
6	Minna no Golf 3 (Everybody's Golf 3)	PS2	871,167	Un­known		[20]
7	Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Smash Bros. Melee)	GameCube	838,237
8	Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon)	GBC	826,125	Un­known		[a]
9	Winning Eleven 5 (Pro Evolution Soccer)	PS2	789,515	Un­known		[20]
10	Super Mario Advance	GBA	777,899	Un­known		[23]

United States

Best-selling home video games in the United States

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Sales	Revenue	Inflation	Ref
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	Game Boy Color	3,127,659	$91,038,324	$162,000,000	[19][24][26]
2	Madden NFL 2002	PlayStation 2, PlayStation	2,220,112	$110,000,000	$200,000,000	[24][19]
3	Grand Theft Auto III	PlayStation 2	1,965,832	$98,940,325	$180,000,000	[24][19]
4	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PlayStation 2	1,800,000+	$87,000,000+	$150,000,000+	[22][24]
5	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	PlayStation 2, PlayStation	1,693,037	$81,000,000	$144,000,000	[24][19]
6	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	PlayStation, PC	1,628,744	$55,148,445	$98,000,000	[19][24][25]
7	The Sims	PC	1,482,182	$60,499,079	$110,000,000	[25]
8	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages	Game Boy Color	1,248,191	$39,000,000	$69,000,000	[24][19]
9	Super Mario Advance	Game Boy Advance	1,172,323+	$35,000,000+	$62,000,000+	[24][19]
10	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PlayStation 2	1,172,322	$58,264,403	$103,000,000	[24][19]

PAL regions

Highest-grossing home video games in Europe^[27]

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Genre	Sales revenue	Inflation
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	Game Boy Color	Nintendo	Role-playing	€221,000,000 ($198,000,000)	$352,000,000
2	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Multi-platform	Electronic Arts	Action-adventure	€92,000,000 ($82,000,000)	$150,000,000
3	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PlayStation 2	Sony	Racing sim	€64,000,000 ($57,000,000)	$101,000,000
4	Grand Theft Auto III	PlayStation 2	Rockstar Games	Action-adventure	€54,000,000 ($48,000,000)	$85,000,000
5	FIFA Football 2002	Multi-platform	EA Sports	Sports	€52,000,000 ($47,000,000)	$83,000,000
6	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?	Multi-platform	Eidos Interactive	Quiz	€33,000,000 ($30,000,000)	$53,000,000
7	FIFA 2001	Multi-platform	EA Sports	Sports	€31,000,000 ($28,000,000)	$50,000,000
8	Final Fantasy IX	PlayStation	Squaresoft	Role-playing	€30,000,000 ($27,000,000)	$48,000,000
9	Black & White	PC	Electronic Arts	God game	€28,000,000 ($25,000,000)	$44,000,000
10	The Sims	PC	Electronic Arts	Life simulation	€25,000,000 ($22,000,000)	$39,000,000

Best-selling home video games in Australia^[31]

Rank	Title	Platform	Developer	Publisher	Genre
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	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	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	Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped	PlayStation	Naughty Dog	Sony

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan^[32]

Rank	Title	Developer	Manufacturer	Type	Genre	Points
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

Major events

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.[33]
	31	Sega announced it would be departing from the console market[34] and discontinuing the Dreamcast, and develop and publish games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.[35]

Events

• Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts the 4th annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 15 of 21 awards go to video games.
• March 21 – The Game Boy Advance handheld is released by Nintendo. Also to back-up the GBA's identical graphics to the SNES an enhanced remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 was launched.
• May 17–19 – 7th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3);^[36] the 4th annual Game Critics Awards For The Best Of E3
• June 23 – Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates its 10th anniversary.
• July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 2nd annual Executive Summit.
• Gama Network hosts the 3rd annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
• Game Developers Conference hosts the 1st annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
• Spring – Reuters reports that the Dreamcast console has an estimated 800,000 online users playing its various online games already by midyear.
• Sony cooperates with AOL to incorporate Internet features with the PlayStation 2 console; which include a browser, email, and instant messaging capabilities.
• August – 2nd annual Dreamcast Championships (featuring the Crazy Taxi 2 video game).
• Nikkei News reports that the video game Phantasy Star Online (for Dreamcast) has had 300,000 worldwide users login already by midyear.
• September 14 – Nintendo releases the GameCube and its launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
• November 15 – The Microsoft Xbox is introduced.
• November 18 – Nintendo releases the GameCube in North America with launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
• November 23 – Game Park releases the GP32 wireless-multiplayer multimedia handheld console in South Korea.
• December 5–9 – World Cyber Games 2001 are held in South Korea
• December 31 – Jez San is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours, becoming the first person awarded specifically for services to video games.
• December – Panasonic releases the GameCube-based Q multimedia console.

Business

• Defunct companies: Bullfrog Productions, Indrema, Dynamix, Sanctuary Woods, SNK.
• After Dynamix (1984–2001) is closed as part of Sierra's restructuring under Vivendi Universal, several veterans of the studio found GarageGames.
• Sega announces that it will no longer develop home consoles, to focus on game development. The Dreamcast is discontinued in May, but games including Sonic the Hedgehog will continue to be released.
• Activision acquires Treyarch Invention LLC.
• PCCW Japan (Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan Co., Ltd.) acquires VR1 Entertainment.
• Long-time arcade developer Midway Games announces that it will no longer manufacture arcade games.
• August – Loki Software declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy over internal financial troubles, before going defunct next January. In response Michael Simms of the Tux Games retailer and former Loki game tester founds Linux Game Publishing alongside ex-Loki employee Mike Philips on October 15 to keep games coming to Linux.
• October – Infogrames announces to revive Atari as a sub-brand of Infogrames. Splashdown, MX Rider and TransWorld Surf were the first 3 games to receive this treatment.

Lawsuits

• Sega of America Inc. v. Kmart Corporation; Sega sues Kmart over an unpaid debt of over US$2 million
• Uri Geller v. Nintendo; Geller sues Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokémon character. The suit is dismissed.^{[citation needed]}

Notable releases

Video game platforms

DC Dreamcast GBA Game Boy Advance GCN GameCube N64 Nintendo 64 PS1 PlayStation PS2 PlayStation 2 Win Windows Xbox Xbox GBC Game Boy Color

Notable releases of the year 2001

Release	Title	Windows	5th Gen	6th Gen	Handheld
January 4	RuneScape	Win	—	—	—
January 10	Mega Man 64	—	N64	—	—
January 16	Mario Tennis	—	—	—	GBC
January 29	Oni	Win	—	PS2	—
January 29	Phantasy Star Online	—	—	DC	—
January 30	Rayman 2: The Great Escape	—	—	PS2	—
January 31	Mega Man X5	Win (2002)	PS1	—	—
February 5	Paper Mario	—	N64	—	—
February 6	Action Man: Search for Base X	—	—	—	GBC
February 6	Metal Walker	—	—	—	GBC
February 7	Clive Barker's Undying	Win	—	—	—
February 16	Final Fantasy IX	—	PS1 (EU)	—	—
February 20	Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers	—	—	—	GBC
February 27	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages	—	—	—	GBC (JP)
March 1	Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge	Win'98	PS1	—	GBC, GBA
March 5	Conker's Bad Fur Day	—	N64	—	—
March 6	The Bouncer	—	—	PS2	—
March 9	Sonic Shuffle	—	—	DC	—
March 12	Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo	Win	—	—	—
March 13	Onimusha: Warlords	—	—	PS2	—
March 13	Unreal Tournament	—	—	DC	—
March 14	Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage	—	N64	—	—
March 15	SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula	—	—	—	GBC
March 20	Summoner[37]	Win
March 21	Daytona USA	—	—	DC	—
March 21	Tribes 2	Win	—	—	—
March 21	Serious Sam: The First Encounter	Win	—	—	—
March 22	Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil	—	—	PS2	—
March 23	Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising	Win	—	—	—
March 25	Black & White	Win	—	—	—
March 26	Pokémon Stadium 2	—	N64	—	—
March 26	The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror	—	—	—	GBC
March 26	Zone of the Enders	—	—	PS2	—
March 27	Rocket Power: Gettin' Air	—	—	—	GBC
March 27	Strikers 1945 II	—	PS1	—	—
March 30	Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine	—	—	—	GBC
March 30	Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo	—	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	—	PS1	—	—
April 16	Illbleed	—	—	DC	—
April 16	Batman: Chaos in Gotham	—	—	—	GBC
April 19	Spider-Man	—	—	DC	—
April 23	Silpheed: The Lost Planet	—	—	PS2	—
April 30	The Adventures of Cookie & Cream	—	—	PS2	—
April 30	Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting	—	—	DC	—
May 7	Mario Party 3	—	N64	—	—
May 8	Myst III: Exile	Win	—	PS2	—
May 14	Crazy Taxi	—	—	PS2	—
May 16	Giga Wing 2	—	—	DC	—
May 16	Project Justice	—	—	DC	—
May 18	Atlantis The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire	Win	—	—	—
May 21	Cool Boarders	—	—	PS2	—
May 22	Red Faction	—	—	PS2	—
May 28	Crazy Taxi 2	—	—	DC	—
May 29	Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown	—	—	—	GBC
May 30	Bejeweled	Win	—	—	—
May 30	Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six	—	—	—	GBC
May 30	Max Steel: Covert Missions	—	—	DC	—
June 11	Castlevania: Circle of the Moon	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	ChuChu Rocket!	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	Earthworm Jim	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	F-Zero: Maximum Velocity	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	Konami Krazy Racers	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	Rayman Advance	—	—	—	GBA
June 11	Super Mario Advance	—	—	—	GBA
June 14	Atlantis: The Lost Empire	—	PS1	—	—
June 18	Twisted Metal: Black	—	—	PS2	—
June 19	Sonic Adventure 2	—	—	DC	—
June 19	Startopia[38]	Win
June 20	Time Crisis: Project Titan	—	PS1	—	—
June 21	Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	Win	—	—	—
June 22	Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis	Win	—	—	—
June 27	Anachronox	Win	—	—	—
June 27	Anarchy Online[39]	Win
June 29	Bomberman Tournament	—	—	—	GBA
June 29	Final Fantasy Chronicles	—	PS1	—	—
July 1	Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword	—	—	—	GBC
July 6	Runaway: A Road Adventure	Win
July 8	Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse	—	—	PS2	—
July 10	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	—	—	PS2	—
July 14	Mega Man Legends	Win	—	—	—
July 16	Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor	—	—	—	GBA
July 17	City Crisis	—	—	PS2	—
July 19	Final Fantasy X	—	—	PS2 (JP)	—
July 23	Extermination	—	—	PS2	—
July 23	Max Payne	Win	—	—	—
July 28	Rune: Viking Warlord	—	—	PS2	—
July 29	Pokémon Crystal (North America)	—	—	—	GBC
July 30	Tweety and the Magic Gems	—	—	—	GBA
August 1	Golden Sun	—	—	—	GBA
August 1	Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower	Win	—	—	—
August 7	WWF Betrayal	—	—	—	GBA
August 8	Shogun: Total War: Mongol Invasion	Win	—	—	—
August 19	Madden NFL 2002	—	PS1	PS2	—
August 20	Armored Core 2: Another Age	—	—	PS2	—
August 21	Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura	Win	—	—	—
August 27	Mario Kart: Super Circuit	—	—	—	GBA
August 27	Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2	—	—	PS2	—
August 28	ESPN Final Round Golf 2002	—	—	—	GBA
August 29	Alchemy	Win	—	—	—
August 30	Klonoa: Empire of Dreams	—	—	—	GBA
September 6	Shenmue II	—	—	DC	—
September 10	Advance Wars	—	—	—	GBA
September 10	Jurassic Park III: Park Builder	—	—	—	GBA
September 10	Portal Runner	—	—	PS2	—
September 11	The World Is Not Enough	—	—	—	GBC
September 13	Heavy Metal: Geomatrix	—	—	DC	—
September 13	Ooga Booga	—	—	DC	—
September 15	Power Rangers Time Force	—	—	—	GBA
September 17	Arctic Thunder	—	—	PS2	—
September 18	Red Faction[40]	Win
September 21	SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge	—	PS1	—	—
September 24	Monster Rancher 3	—	—	PS2	—
September 24	Phantasy Star Online Version 2	—	—	DC	—
September 24	Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor	Win
September 24	Silent Hill 2	—	—	PS2	—
September 24	SpyHunter	—	—	PS2	—
September 24	SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Krabby Patty	Win	—	—	—
September 25	X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse	—	—	—	GBA
September 26	Bass Strike	—	—	PS2	—
September 26	Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes!	—	—	—	GBA
September 26	Final Fight One	—	—	—	GBA
September 26	Kessen II	—	—	PS2	—
September 30	Ico	—	—	PS2	—
October 1	NASCAR Thunder 2002	—	PS1	PS2, Xbox	—
October 1	Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase	—	—	—	GBA
October 1	Time Crisis II	—	—	PS2	—
October 1	Yanya Caballista: City Skater	—	—	PS2	—
October 2	Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge	—	—	—	GBA
October 3	Lego Bionicle	—	—	—	GBA
October 4	Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase	—	PS1	—	—
October 5	The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase	—	—	—	GBA
October 8	Castlevania Chronicles	—	PS1	—	—
October 10	Dark Age of Camelot	Win	—	—	—
October 12	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney	—	—	—	GBA
October 15	Lady Sia	—	—	—	GBA
October 15	Batman: Vengeance	Win	—	PS2, GCN, Xbox	GBA
October 17	Devil May Cry	—	—	PS2	—
October 18	E.T.: Digital Companion	—	—	—	GBC
October 21	Stronghold	Win	—	—	—
October 22	Grand Theft Auto III	—	—	PS2	—
October 24	Virtua Tennis 2	—	—	DC	—
October 28	Doom	—	—	—	GBA
October 28	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	—	PS1	PS2, GCN	—
October 29	Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex	—	—	PS2, Xbox, GCN	—
October 29	Spyro: Season of Ice	—	—	—	GBA
October 30	Aliens versus Predator 2	Win	—	—	—
October 30	Boxing Fever	—	—	—	GBA
October 30	Civilization III	Win	—	—	—
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	—	—	PS2	—
October 31	Mega Man Battle Network	—	—	—	GBA
November 1	Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies	—	—	PS2	—
November 1	Burnout	—	—	PS2	—
November 1	Dragon Warrior VII	—	PS1	—	—
November 1	FIFA Football 2002	—	PS1	PS2	—
November 1	Nancy Drew: The Final Scene	Win	—	—	—
November 3	Rocket Power: Dream Scheme	—	—	—	GBA
November 5	SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge	—	PS1	—	GBA
November 5	SSX Tricky	—	—	PS2, GCN, Xbox	—
November 7	Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand	—	—	—	GBA
November 9	Project Gotham Racing	—	—	Xbox	—
November 11	Golden Sun	—	—	—	GBA
November 12	Empire Earth	Win	—	—	—
November 12	Gradius Advance	—	—	—	GBA
November 12	Survivor	—	Win	—	—
November 13	007: Agent Under Fire	—	—	PS2	—
November 13	Cubix - Robots for Everyone: Race 'N Robots	—	—	—	GBC
November 13	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	—	—	PS2	—
November 13	Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon	Win	—	—	—
November 14	Frank Herbert's Dune[41]	Win		PS2
November 14	Harvest Moon 3 GBC	—	—	—	GBC
November 14	Shrek	—	—	Xbox	—
November 15	Cel Damage	—	—	Xbox, PS2, GCN	—
November 15	Dead or Alive 3	—	—	Xbox	—
November 15	Halo: Combat Evolved	—	—	Xbox	—
November 15	Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion	—	—	—	GBA
November 15	Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee	—	—	Xbox	—
November 15	Wizardry 8[42]	Win
November 16	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Win	PS1	—	GBC, GBA
November 16	Headhunter	—	—	DC	—
November 17	NHL Hitz 2002	—	—	GCN	—
November 17	Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader	—	—	GCN	—
November 18	Crazy Taxi	—	—	GCN	—
November 18	Super Monkey Ball	—	—	GCN	—
November 18	IL-2 Sturmovik	Win	—	—	—
November 18	Luigi's Mansion	—	—	GCN	—
November 18	WWF Road to Wrestlemania	—	—	—	GBA
November 19	Soul Reaver 2[43]	Win
November 19	Wario Land 4	—	—	—	GBA
November 19	WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It	—	—	PS2	—
November 20	Frequency	—	—	PS2	—
November 20	Return to Castle Wolfenstein	Win	—	—	—
November 20	Frogger: The Great Quest	—	PS2	—	—
November 21	Ecks vs. Sever	—	—	—	GBA
November 21	Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles	—	—	—	GBA
November 21	Super Smash Bros. Melee	—	—	GCN (NTSC-J)	—
November 22	Mr. Driller G	—	PS1 (NTSC-J)	—	—
November 23	Gothic	Win	—	—	—
November 24	Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog	—	—	—	GBA
November 25	Azurik: Rise of Perathia	—	—	Xbox	—
November 26	Jurassic Park III: Island Attack	—	—	—	GBA
November 26	Star Wars: Starfighter	—	—	Xbox	—
November 26	Twisted Metal: Small Brawl	—	PS1	—	—
November 27	Extreme-G 3	—	—	GCN	—
November 27	Lego Racers 2	—	—	—	GBA
November 28	Cruis'n Velocity	—	—	—	GBA
November 29	Rampage Puzzle Attack	—	—	—	GBA
November 30	Dokapon: Monster Hunter	—	—	—	GBA
December 1	Breath of Fire	—	—	—	GBA
December 1	M&M's Blast!	—	—	—	GBA
December 3	Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance	—	—	PS2	—
December 3	Pikmin	—	—	GCN	—
December 3	Super Smash Bros. Melee	—	—	GCN (NTSC-U)	—
December 3	Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	—	—	PS2	—
December 4	Mega Man X6	—	PS1	—	—
December 5	American Bass Challenge	—	—	—	GBA
December 7	Cel Damage	—	—	GCN	—
December 7	Magical Vacation				GBA
December 7	Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles	—	—	PS2 (PAL & EU)	—
December 9	The Flintstones: Big Trouble in Bedrock	—	—	—	GBA
December 12	Mortal Kombat Advance	—	—	—	GBA
December 12	Shadow Hearts	—	—	PS2	—
December 17	Dark Rift (North America)	—	N64	—	—
December 18	Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure	—	—	GCN	—
December 19	Star Wars: Obi-Wan[44]			Xbox
December 19	Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land	—	—	PS2	—
December 20	Final Fantasy X	—	—	PS2 (US)	—
December 20	Giants: Citizen Kabuto	—	—	PS2	—
December 21	Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut	—	—	Xbox	—
December 21	Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3	—	—	—	GBA

Trends

Video game consoles

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).

• 
  GameCube
• 
  Xbox

Handheld game systems

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).

• 
  The Game Boy Advance

Births

Deaths

• March 16 – Isao Okawa, 74, chairman of Sega.^[45]

See also

• 2001 in games

Notes

1. Crystal Version sold 749,863.^[20] Gold and Silver versions sold 76,262.^[23]