2000 in video gaming

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2000 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Deus Ex, Hitman: Codename 47, Paper Mario, Mario Tennis, Perfect Dark, Shogun: Total War, SSX, TimeSplitters and The Sims.

Events

• January – Digital Illusions CE acquires Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive.
• February 4 – Maxis releases The Sims, first game of a successful series.
• February 4 – 1st annual Dreamcast Championships (featuring the Sonic Adventure video game).
• March – Game Network hosts the 2nd annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
• March 4 – Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2) launches in Japan with 10 launch titles.
• April – Nintendo sells its 100 millionth Game Boy/Game Boy Color handheld console.
• April 14 – Reuters reports that the PlayStation 2 console will have export controls placed on it by the Trade Ministry of Japan since the PS2 is sophisticated enough for military applications.
• May 11 – The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and inducts Hironobu Sakaguchi of Square into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
• May 11–13 – The 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held along with the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³.
• June 26 – International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association.
• June 30 – Nintendo's Satellaview system ceases to receive broadcasts.
• July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 1st annual Executive Summit.
• July 21 – Mario Tennis is released for the Nintendo 64 introducing Waluigi to the Mario series.
• August 11 – Paper Mario is also released for the Nintendo 64. It features a more crafty appearance of the Mushroom Kingdom. It served as Super Mario RPG's spiritual sequel and it kicked of a series of its own.
• September 10 – Sega.com launches SegaNet, their online console gaming network.
• NPD Group, Inc. reports that Electronic Arts ranks 1st in third-party video game publishing in the United States, ahead of Infogrames Entertainment SA.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts the 3rd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 7 of 20 awards go to video games; awards David Bowie in part for his contributions to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul (for PC).
• October 26 – Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2) launches in North America.
• November 17 – Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2) launches in Australia.
• November 24 – Sony's PlayStation 2 (PS2) launches in Europe.

Notable releases

Video game platforms

DC Dreamcast GBC Game Boy Color N64 Nintendo 64 PS1 PlayStation PS2 PlayStation 2 Win Microsoft Windows

Notable releases of the year 2000

Release	Title	Windows	5th Gen	6th Gen	Handheld	Arcade
January 24	Crazy Taxi	Yes (2002)	N/A	DC, GCN (2001), PS2 (2001)	N/A	Yes (1999)
January 24	Mario Party 2	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
January 27	Dragon Warrior Monsters	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
January 31	Nox	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
February 3	Resident Evil Code: Veronica	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
February 4	The Sims	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
February 10	Vagrant Story	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
February 19	SNK Gals' Fighters	N/A	N/A	N/A	NGP	N/A
February 29	BattleSphere	N/A	Jaguar	N/A	N/A	N/A
February 29	Dead or Alive 2	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	Yes (1999)
February 29	Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed	Yes	PS1	N/A	GBA (2004)	N/A
February 29	Rayman 2: The Great Escape	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
February 29	Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
February 29	Pokémon Stadium	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
March 4	Kessen	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
March 21	Thief II: The Metal Age	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Wario Land 3	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
March 24	Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
March 27	Soldier of Fortune	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
March 31	Tech Romancer	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
March 31	MDK2	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
April 4	Star Wars Episode I: Racer	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
April 27	The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
April 28	Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
April 30	Excitebike 64	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
April 30	The Misadventures of Tron Bonne	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
April 30	Wild Arms 2	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
May 4	4 Wheel Thunder	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
May 5	Metal Gear: Ghost Babel	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
May 9	Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
May 14	Bomberman Max	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
May 22	Earth 2150	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
May 22	Metal Slug 2nd Mission	N/A	N/A	N/A	NGP	N/A
May 22	Perfect Dark	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
May 24	Daikatana	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
May 28	Bomberman 64: The Second Attack	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 1	Ground Control	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 4	Space Channel 5	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
June 7	Dracula: Resurrection	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 7	Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 12	Tomb Raider	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
June 13	Shogun: Total War	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 22	Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
June 22	Omikron: The Nomad Soul	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
June 26	Deus Ex	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 28	Xtreme Sports	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
June 29	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 29	Diablo II	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 29	Icewind Dale	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 29	Jet Set Radio	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
June 29	Marvel vs Capcom 2	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
June 30	Homeworld: Cataclysm	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
June 30	Mortal Kombat: Special Forces	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
July 3	Dark Reign 2	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
July 18	Threads of Fate	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
July 29	Strider 2	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
July 31	Spirit of Speed 1937	Yes	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
August 3	Shin Sangoku Musou (Japan)	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
August 15	Chrono Cross	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
August 24	Age of Empires II: The Conquerors	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
August 26	Dragon Quest VII (Japan)	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
August 28	Mario Tennis	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
August 30	Spider-Man	Yes	PS1, GBC, N64	DC (2001)	N/A	N/A
August 30	WWF Royal Rumble	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
September 12	Parasite Eve II	N/A	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A
September 13	Lego Stunt Rally	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
September 15	Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force	Yes	N/A	PS2 (2001)	N/A	N/A
September 19	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
September 24	Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
September 24	The Little Mermaid 2: Pinball Frenzy	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
September 25	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
September 25	Vampire Hunter D	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
September 26	Destruction Derby Raw	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
September 27	Dragon Warrior I & II	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
September 28	F1 Championship Season 2000	Yes	PS1	PS2	GBC	N/A
October	Zeus: Master of Olympus	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
October 5	Skies of Arcadia	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
October 19	Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers	Yes	PS1, N64	PS2, DC	GBC	N/A
October 22	Quake III Arena	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
October 23	Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
October 23	TimeSplitters	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 24	Mega Man Legends 2	Yes	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
October 25	Midnight Club: Street Racing	N/A	N/A	PS2	GBA (2001)	N/A
October 25	Ridge Racer V	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 25	Spyro: Year of the Dragon	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
October 26	FantaVision	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 26	Madden NFL 2001	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 26	SSX	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 26	Tekken Tag Tournament	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
October 27	Bust-a-Move Millennium	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
October 31	The Grinch	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
November 6	Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000	N/A	PS1 (2002)	DC	N/A	N/A
November 6	Crash Bash	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 6	Incredible Crisis	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 6	The World Is Not Enough	Yes	PS1, N64	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 6	Shenmue	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
November 8	Escape from Monkey Island	Yes	N/A	PS2 (2001)	N/A	N/A
November 9	The Operative: No One Lives Forever	Yes	N/A	PS2 (2002)	N/A	N/A
November 9	Counter-Strike (video game)	Yes	Xbox, Retail and Steam (2003)	Linux, Mac OS X (2013)	N/A	N/A
November 10	Timeline	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 13	Final Fantasy IX	Yes (2016)	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 13	Madden NFL 2001	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 13	The Emperor's New Groove	Yes	PS1	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 14	Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 14	The Powerpuff Girls: Bad Mojo Jojo	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 16	Blues Brothers 2000	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 17	Tomb Raider Chronicles	Yes	PS1	DC	N/A	N/A
November 17	Sacrifice	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 19	Hitman: Codename 47	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 20	007 Racing	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 20	Banjo-Tooie	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 20	Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	N/A	PS1	N/A	GBC	N/A
November 20	Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
November 22	Harvest Moon: Back to Nature	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 23	MechWarrior 4: Vengeance	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
November 23	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
November 30	Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers	Yes	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 1	Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge	Yes	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 4	Evil Dead: Hail to the King	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 4	Pokémon Puzzle Challenge	N/A	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A
December 5	American McGee's Alice	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 6	Grandia II	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
December 7	Giants: Citizen Kabuto	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 7	Mario Party 3 (Japan)	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 10	Monster Rancher Hop-A-Bout	N/A	PS1	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 13	Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker	N/A	N64	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 14	Dark Cloud (Japan)	N/A	N/A	PS2	N/A	N/A
December 14	Pokémon Crystal (Japan)	N/A	N/A	GBC	N/A	N/A
December 21	Phantasy Star Online (Japan)	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A
December 30	ECW Anarchy Rulz	N/A	N/A	DC	N/A	N/A

Notes

Electronic Arts released re-editions of SimCity 3000, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, SimCity 3000 UK edition, SimCity 3000 Korean edition, SimCity 3000 Chinese edition, SimCity 3000 Japanese edition, SimCity 3000 Edition mondiale (not the same as World Edition) and SimCity 3000 World Edition. They were considered as updates in the beginning, but revealed themselves as full and distinct games.

Hardware

• March 4

PlayStation 2 Sony's second console released in Japan first then on October 26, 2000 it released in North America.

• December 9 – Bandai's WonderSwan Color handheld in Japan is released.
• Sega's Naomi 2 arcade console is released.
• Toymax's Activision TV Games controller/console.

Business

• New companies: PopCap Games, 21-6 Productions, Yeti Interactive
• Defunct company: Looking Glass Studios, ASC Games
• Mattel, Inc. sells The Learning Company to Gores Technology Group.
• All of Sega's internal consumer research & development divisions become individual developer companies.

Acquisitions

• Electronic Arts acquires DreamWorks Interactive, LLC (games division of DreamWorks SKG).
• Infogrames acquires Hasbro Interactive, (including the Game.com division, the MicroProse and Atari labels, and a right to publish and develop games based on Hasbro properties), and Paradigm Entertainment.
• Microsoft acquires Bungie.
• Nvidia acquires 3dfx Interactive.
• Sony acquires Verant Interactive.
• THQ acquires Volition.
• Ubi Soft acquires Red Storm Entertainment.

Critically acclaimed titles

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

2000 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR)

Game	Publisher	Release Date	Platform(s)	MC score	GR score
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Activision	September 20, 2000	PlayStation	98/100	94.75%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Activision	November 7, 2000	Dreamcast	97/100	94.86%
Perfect Dark	Nintendo	May 22, 2000	Nintendo 64	97/100	94.55%
NFL 2K1	Sega	September 7, 2000	Dreamcast	97/100	94.5%
Metal Gear Solid	Konami	April 27, 2000	Game Boy Color	N/A	95.61%
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn	Interplay Entertainment	September 21, 2000	Microsoft Windows	95/100	93.97%
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask	Nintendo	April 27, 2000	Nintendo 64	95/100	91.95%
Final Fantasy IX	Square	July 7, 2000	PlayStation	94/100	92.72%
Jet Set Radio	Sega	June 29, 2000	Dreamcast	94/100	91.9%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater	Crave Entertainment	May 22, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	94%
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica	Capcom	February 2, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	93.79%
Rayman 2: The Great Escape	Ubisoft	March 21, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	93.05%
SSX	EA Sports	October 30, 2000	PlayStation 2	93/100	92.39%
Quake III Arena	Activision	October 22, 2000	Dreamcast	93/100	92.15%
Skies of Arcadia	Sega	October 5, 2000	Dreamcast	93/100	90.59%
NBA 2K1	Sega	October 31, 2000	Dreamcast	93/100	89.69%
Le Mans 24 Hours	Sega	November 13, 2000	Dreamcast	93/100	89.5%
Paper Mario	Nintendo	August 11, 2000	Nintendo 64	93/100	88.81%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater	Activision	February 29, 2000	Nintendo 64	N/A	92.4%
Vagrant Story	Square	February 10, 2000	PlayStation	92/100	91.97%
The Sims	Electronic Arts	January 31, 2000	Microsoft Windows	92/100	89.74%
Dead or Alive 2	Tecmo	February 29, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	91.37%
Virtua Tennis	Sega	July 12, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	91.37%
Banjo-Tooie	Nintendo	November 20, 2000	Nintendo 64	90/100	91.31%
Deus Ex	Eidos Interactive	June 17, 2000	Microsoft Windows	90/100	91.03%
Madden NFL 2001	EA Sports	October 26, 2000	PlayStation 2	91/100	90.78%
Spyro: Year of the Dragon	Sony Computer Entertainment	October 24, 2000	PlayStation	91/100	90.59%
The Operative: No One Lives Forever	Fox Interactive	November 9, 2000	Microsoft Windows	91/100	88.34%
DOA2: Hardcore	Tecmo	October 26, 2000	PlayStation 2	91/100	87.38%
Mario Tennis	Nintendo	July 21, 2000	Nintendo 64	91/100	87.32%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Activision	October 25, 2000	Microsoft Windows	91/100	85.77%
Mario Tennis	Nintendo	November 1, 2000	Game Boy Color	N/A	90.78%
Donkey Kong Country	Nintendo	November 4, 2000	Game Boy Color	N/A	90.38%
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge	Nintendo	September 21, 2000	Game Boy Color	N/A	90.2%
Crazy Taxi	Sega	January 24, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	90.19%
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes	Capcom	March 30, 2000	Dreamcast	90/100	90.15%
Colin McRae Rally 2.0	Codemasters	July 7, 2000	PlayStation	90/100	88.82%
Grandia II	Game Arts	August 3, 2000	Dreamcast	90/100	88.81%
Madden NFL 2001	EA Sports	August 22, 2000	PlayStation	90/100	88.65%
Jane's F/A-18	Electronic Arts	January 11, 2000	Microsoft Windows	N/A	88.43%
NHL 2001	EA Sports	September 28, 2000	Microsoft Windows	90/100	86.75%
Rayman Revolution	Ubisoft	December 22, 2000	PlayStation 2	90/100	85.17%
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role	THQ	November 21, 2000	PlayStation	90/100	84.27%
Wario Land 3	Nintendo	March 21, 2000	Game Boy Color	N/A	90%
Phantasy Star Online	Sega	December 21, 2000	Dreamcast	89/100	89.88%
Sacrifice	Interplay Entertainment	November 17, 2000	Microsoft Windows	89/100	89.53%
Counter-Strike	Sierra Entertainment	November 9, 2000	Microsoft Windows	88/100	89.2%
Thief II	Eidos Interactive	March 23, 2000	Microsoft Windows	87/100	89.14%
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors	Microsoft	August 24, 2000	Microsoft Windows	88/100	89.11%
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark	Sony Online Entertainment	April 24, 2000	Microsoft Windows	86/100	89.08%
Excitebike 64	Nintendo	April 30, 2000	Nintendo 64	88/100	89.07%
Homeworld: Cataclysm	Sierra Entertainment	June 30, 2000	Microsoft Windows	89/100	88.64%
Samba de Amigo	Sega	April 27, 2000	Dreamcast	89/100	86.15%
WWF No Mercy	THQ	November 17, 2000	Nintendo 64	89/100	85.27%
Madden NFL 2001	EA Sports	August 28, 2000	Nintendo 64	89/100	84.82%
Metropolis Street Racer	Sega	November 3, 2000	Dreamcast	87/100	88.59%
Diablo II	Blizzard Entertainment	June 29, 2000	Microsoft Windows	88/100	88.58%
MDK2	Interplay Entertainment	March 31, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	88.08%
Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord	Battlefront.com	May 31, 2000	Microsoft Windows	N/A	88%
Ultimate Fighting Championship	Crave Entertainment	August 29, 2000	Dreamcast	88/100	87.8%
Superbike 2001	EA Sports	October 6, 2000	Microsoft Windows	88/100	87.32%
NHL 2001	EA Sports	September 26, 2000	PlayStation	88/100	84.11%
Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche vs. KA-52 Hokum	Empire Interactive	July 31, 2000	Microsoft Windows	86/100	87.96%
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver	Eidos Interactive	January 27, 2000	Dreamcast	N/A	87.94%
PGA Championship Golf 2000	Sierra Entertainment	June 1, 2000	Microsoft Windows	N/A	87.77%
Steel Beasts	Shrapnel Games	September 24, 2000	Microsoft Windows	86/100	87.58%