| List of years in video games (table) |
|---|
| ... 1993 . 1994 . 1995 . 1996 . 1997 . 1998 . 1999 ... 2000 2001 2002 -2003- 2004 2005 2006 ... 2007 . 2008 . 2009 . 2010 . 2011 . 2012 . 2013 ... |
| Art . Archaeology . Architecture . Literature . Music . Philosophy . Science +... |
2003 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games and several new titles such as Beyond Good & Evil, Manhunt, Call of Duty, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, PlanetSide, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, True Crime: Streets of LA, and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain.
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.
Hardware[]
- February 14 – Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance SP, an enhanced version of the Game Boy Advance.
- March 23 – Nintendo's Game Boy and Game Boy Color stop production worldwide.
- September 23 – Nintendo's Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System stop production worldwide.
- Nokia releases the hybrid N-Gage handheld console and mobile phone.
- 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.
Notable releases[]
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| Release | Title | Windows | 6th Gen | Handheld | 5th Gen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 3 | Super Bubble Pop | N/A | GCN | GBA | N/A |
| January 7 | Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| January 11 | Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| January 12 | Panzer Dragoon Orta | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| January 14 | SimCity 4 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| January 19 | The Getaway | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| January 20 | Battle Engine Aquila | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| January 22 | Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| January 25 | Devil May Cry 2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| January 26 | Black & Bruised | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| January 26 | HSX: Hypersonic.Xtreme | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 6 | GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| February 10 | Command & Conquer: Generals | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February 10 | .hack//Infection Part 1 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 11 | Capcom vs. SNK EO | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| February 12 | Knight Rider: The Game | Win | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 12 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Masters | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| February 13 | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February 15 | Disaster Report | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 16 | Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 17 | Dark Cloud 2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 21 | I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February 24 | Everblue 2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 24 | Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| February 25 | EverQuest: The Legacy of Ykesha | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February 25 | Master of Orion III | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February 26 | Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| February 27 | Men in Black II: Alien Escape | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| February 28 | Praetorians | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 3 | Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 4 | Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| March 4 | Freelancer | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 9 | Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc | N/A | GCN | GBA | N/A |
| March 9 | Sonic Advance 2 | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| March 10 | Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 10 | MLB 2004 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 10 | World Series Baseball 2K3 | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| March 10 | Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 11 | Mega Man & Bass | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| March 11 | Piglet's Big Game | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| March 14 | Tom and Jerry in Infurnal Escape | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| March 19 | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (North America) | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| March 17 | WWE Crush Hour | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 18 | Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| March 19 | Bloody Roar 3 | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| March 19 | Mobile Light Force 2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 19 | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 20 | Pride FC: Fighting Championships | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 24 | Amplitude | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 24 | Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 24 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | N/A | GCN (US) | N/A | N/A |
| March 25 | Batman: Dark Tomorrow | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| March 25 | Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 | N/A | N/A | N/A | PS1 |
| March 25 | Dynasty Warriors 4 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 25 | Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 25 | Primal | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| March 25 | Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| March 25 | Ed, Edd n Eddy: Jawbreakers! | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| March 26 | Galactic Civilizations | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 26 | Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| March 26 | Superman: Countdown to Apokolips | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| March 30 | Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| April 8 | Midnight Club II | Windows | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| April 9 | Burnout 2: Point of Impact | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| April 9 | Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| April 9 | Evil Dead: Hail to the King | Windows | Dreamcast | N/A | PS1 |
| April 13 | Postal 2 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| April 14 | Golden Sun: The Lost Age | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| April 15 | Ikaruga | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| April 16 | Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| April 17 | Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart | Windows (JAP) | PS2 (JAP) | N/A | N/A |
| April 17 | Pinobee: Wings of Adventure | N/A | N/A | N/A | PS1 |
| April 20 | Siren | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| April 22 | Ninja Five-O | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| April 30 | MLB 2004 | N/A | N/A | N/A | PS1 |
| May 1 | Burnout 2: Point of Impact | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| May 6 | Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| May 6 | Eve Online | Windows (JAP) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 12 | Finding Nemo | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | N/A |
| May 12 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 12 | Iridion II | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| May 12 | The Sims: Superstar | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 14 | Enter The Matrix | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| May 20 | Inside Pitch 2003 | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| May 20 | Rise of Nations | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 20 | Planetside | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 21 | WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$ | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| May 27 | Brute Force | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| May 27 | Hulk | Windows | PS2, GCN, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| June 1 | Sonic Pinball Party | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| June 2 | Toontown Online | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| June 3 | Midnight Club II | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| June 9 | Donkey Kong Country | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 17 | Mega Man Network Transmission | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| June 17 | Space Channel 5: Ulala's Cosmic Attack | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 17 | Unlimited Saga | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| June 18 | Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| June 19 | Drome Racers | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 20 | Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| June 23 | Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 23 | Rock 'N Roll Racing | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 24 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 24 | Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| June 24 | Mega Man Battle Network 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 24 | Stuntman | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 24 | Wario World | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| June 25 | Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| June 30 | Ape Escape 2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| June 30 | The Simpsons: Road Rage | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| July 1 | Pirates of the Caribbean | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 1 | Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| July 1 | Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| July 9 | Charlie's Angels | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| July 9 | Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| July 16 | NCAA Football 2004 | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 17 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 17 | The Italian Job | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| July 23 | Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| July 23 | Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 23 | The Great Escape | Windows | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 24 | RoboCop | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 28 | Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| July 30 | Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| July 30 | Shrek: Reekin' Havoc | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| July 31 | Butt-Ugly Martians: Zoom or Doom | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 5 | Chaos Legion | Windows | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 5 | Freaky Flyers | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| August 5 | Silent Hill 3 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 6 | SplashDown: Rides Gone Wild | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 8 | Freaky Flyers | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| August 12 | Futurama | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| August 13 | Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 19 | Alter Echo | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| August 25 | F-Zero GX | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| August 27 | Bombastic | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| August 27 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| August 27 | Otogi: Myth of Demons | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| August 27 | Rescue Heroes: Billy Blazes | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| August 27 | Soul Calibur II | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| August 28 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| September 4 | Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 5 | Power Rangers: Ninja Storm | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| September 8 | Anarchy Online: The Shadowlands | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 8 | Final Fantasy Tactics Advance | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| September 8 | WWE Wrestlemania XIX | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| September 9 | Counter-Strike (Steam and Retail) | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 9 | EverQuest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 9 | P.N.03 | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| September 10 | Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 11 | Road Rash: Jailbreak | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 12 | Starsky & Hutch | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 13 | The Rescuers Down Under (video game) | N/A | PS2, GBA | N/A | |
| September 14 | Asterix & Obelix: Kick Buttix | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| September 16 | Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 16 | Homeworld 2 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 16 | NASCAR Thunder 2004 | Windows | PS1, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| September 16 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| September 17 | Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| September 17 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 22 | Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| September 22 | NHL 2004 | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| September 22 | Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| September 23 | DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution | N/A | PS2, | N/A | N/A |
| September 24 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Jet Fusion | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 24 | Digimon Battle Spirit 2 | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| September 24 | Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 1 | Freedom Fighters | Windows | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| October 6 | DemiKids: Light Version | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 7 | Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 7 | DemiKids: Dark Version | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 7 | Sonic Advance | N/A | N/A | N-Gage | N/A |
| October 7 | Viewtiful Joe | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| October 13 | Kirby Air Ride | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| October 14 | Cyber Troopers Virtual-On MARZ | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 14 | Jak II | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 14 | Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| October 14 | Mega Man X7 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 14 | Mega Man Zero 2 | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 14 | The Haunted Mansion | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 15 | Tak and the Power of Juju | N/A | GCN, PS2 | GBA | N/A |
| October 20 | SSX 3 | N/A | Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | Castlevania: Lament of Innocence | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | ESPN NBA Basketball | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | SSX 3 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 21 | Time Crisis 3 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 22 | SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| October 24 | The Hobbit | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 26 | Super Duper Sumos | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 26 | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 27 | Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| October 27 | Tony Hawk's Underground | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | GBA | N/A |
| October 27 | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| October 28 | Amped 2 | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 28 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| October 28 | Final Fantasy XI | Windows (US) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| October 28 | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | N/A |
| October 28 | SWAT: Global Strike Team | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 28 | Top Spin | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 29 | Call of Duty | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| October 31 | Grand Theft Auto III | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| October 31 | SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom | Win | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | GBA |
| November 3 | Drake of the 99 Dragons | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 3 | Fire Emblem | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 3 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 3 | True Crime: Streets of LA | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 4 | Civilization III: Conquests | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 4 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 4 | SOCOM II | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 4 | Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| November 4 | Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 5 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | N/A | GCN, Xbox | N/A | GBA |
| November 6 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 10 | Mario Party 5 | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 10 | Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Beyond Good & Evil | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Looney Tunes: Back in Action | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 11 | Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Muppets Party Cruise | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Onimusha Tactics | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 11 | Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | SSX 3 | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 11 | The Hobbit | Win | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Uru: Ages Beyond Myst | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 11 | Legacy of Kain: Defiance | Windows | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 12 | Disney's Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey & Minnie | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 12 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 12 | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 13 | Double Dragon Advance | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 13 | Monster Rancher 4 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 13 | Muppets Party Cruise | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 13 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 15 | Crash Nitro Kart | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | GBA, N-Gage | N/A |
| November 17 | Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 17 | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 17 | Mario Kart: Double Dash | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 17 | Need for Speed: Underground (North America) | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | ||
| November 18 | America's 10 Most Wanted | Win | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | American Idol | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 18 | Counter-Strike | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Go! Go! Hypergrind | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Kya: Dark Lineage | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Final Fantasy X-2 | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Manhunt | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Metal Arms: Glitch in the System | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Space Channel 5 Special Edition | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Spy Muppets: License to Croak | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 18 | Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 18 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 18 | The Fairly OddParents: Breakin' da Rules | Win | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | N/A |
| November 18 | Tonka: Rescue Patrol | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | Whiplash | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 18 | XIII | Windows | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 19 | Beyond Good & Evil | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 19 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 20 | Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 24 | Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| November 25 | Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 26 | BlowOut | N/A | GCN, Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| November 30 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| December 1 | 1080° Avalanche | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | Beyond Good & Evil | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | Deus Ex: Invisible War | Windows | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma | N/A | Xbox | GBA | N/A |
| December 2 | Pac-Man Vs. | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | Silent Hill 3 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| December 2 | The Sims Bustin' Out | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| December 3 | Gotcha Force | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| December 5 | Counter-Strike (EU) | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| December 8 | Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| December 9 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | N/A | Xbox | N/A | N/A |
| December 9 | Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective | N/A | N/A | GBA | N/A |
| December 10 | Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly | N/A | PS2 | N/A | N/A |
| December 11 | Beyond Good & Evil | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| December 14 | Medabots Infinity | N/A | GCN | N/A | N/A |
| December 30 | Sonic Heroes | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | N/A | N/A |
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. ESA (pdf)
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.
Video game sales[]
The top 10 selling console video games in 2003 in the United States ranked by units sold, according to NPD, were:
| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madden NFL 2004 | PS2 | EA Sports |
| 2 | Pokémon Ruby | GBA | Nintendo |
| 3 | Pokémon Sapphire | GBA | Nintendo |
| 4 | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 | GBA | Nintendo |
| 5 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GameCube | Nintendo |
| 6 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar Games |
| 7 | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | GameCube | Nintendo |
| 8 | Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga | GBA | Nintendo |
| 9 | Enter the Matrix | PS2 | Infogrames |
| 10 | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | PS2 | Yuke's |
Titles with notable critical reception[]
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
Critically acclaimed titles[]
| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform(s) | MC score | GR score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto Double Pack | Rockstar Games | November 4, 2003 | Xbox | 96/100 | 94.6% |
| The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition | Nintendo | November 17, 2003 | GameCube | 95/100 | 92.17% |
| Championship Manager 4 | Eidos Interactive | March 28, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 95% |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Rockstar Games | May 12, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 94/100 | 94.39% |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | LucasArts | July 15, 2003 | Xbox | 94/100 | 94.21% |
| NCAA Football 2004 | EA Sports | July 16, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 94/100 | 93.27% |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo | October 21, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 94/100 | 92.25% |
| Madden NFL 2004 | EA Sports | August 12, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 94/100 | 91.77% |
| Madden NFL 2004 | EA Sports | August 12, 2003 | GameCube | 94/100 | 91.54% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 3 | Konami | October 17, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 92/100[5] | 93.33%[6] |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | LucasArts | November 19, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 93/100 | 93.19% |
| Project Gotham Racing 2 | Microsoft Game Studios | November 18, 2003 | Xbox | 90/100 | 93.16% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 3 | Konami | August 7, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 93/100[5] | 92.97%[6] |
| SSX 3 | EA Sports | October 20, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 93/100 | 92.28% |
| Soulcalibur II | Namco | March 27, 2003 | GameCube | 93/100 | 92.23% |
| Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution | Sega | March 13, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 93/100 | 91.59% |
| Viewtiful Joe | Capcom | June 26, 2003 | GameCube | 93/100 | 91.19% |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ubisoft | November 18, 2003 | Xbox | 92/100 | 92.67% |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ubisoft | November 18, 2003 | GameCube | 92/100 | 92.12% |
| SSX 3 | EA Sports | October 20, 2003 | GameCube | 92/100 | 92% |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ubisoft | November 10, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 92/100 | 91.94% |
| Soulcalibur II | Namco | March 27, 2003 | Xbox | 92/100 | 91.62% |
| Soulcalibur II | Namco | March 27, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 92/100 | 91.47% |
| SSX 3 | EA Sports | October 20, 2003 | Xbox | 92/100 | 89.93% |
| Madden NFL 2004 | EA Sports | August 12, 2003 | Xbox | 92/100 | 89.24% |
| Call of Duty | Activision | October 29, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 91.52% |
| NCAA Football 2004 | EA Sports | July 16, 2003 | Xbox | 88/100 | 91.33% |
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Ubisoft | February 19, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 90.16% |
| ESPN NFL Football | Sega | September 3, 2003 | Xbox | 91/100 | 89.27% |
| Madden NFL 2004 | EA Sports | August 12, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 88.4% |
| ESPN NFL Football | Sega | September 3, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 88.12% |
| Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow | Konami | May 6, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 91/100 | 87.9% |
| F1 Challenge '99–'02 | EA Sports | June 24, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 85.29% |
| Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne | Blizzard Entertainment | July 1, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 90.98% |
| Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando | Sony Computer Entertainment | November 11, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.64% |
| Tony Hawk's Underground | Activision | October 27, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.58% |
| NCAA Football 2004 | EA Sports | July 16, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 90.42% |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | Nintendo | November 17, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 90/100 | 90.41% |
| NBA Street Vol. 2 | EA Sports | April 29, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.16% |
| Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising | Nintendo | June 24, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 89/100 | 90.16% |
| ESPN NHL Hockey | Sega | September 9, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 86.42% |
| The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – Game of the Year Edition | Bethesda Softworks | October 31, 2003 | Xbox | 88/100 | 89.9% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | EA Sports | September 22, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 89.78% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | EA Sports | September 22, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 89.54% |
| Burnout 2: Point of Impact | Acclaim Entertainment | April 9, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 89.43% |
| NBA Street Vol. 2 | EA Sports | April 29, 2003 | GameCube | 88/100 | 89.36% |
| Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge | Microsoft Game Studios | October 21, 2003 | Xbox | 88/100 | 89.26% |
| NASCAR Racing 2003 Season | Sierra Entertainment | February 13, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.25% |
| Rise of Nations | Microsoft Game Studios | May 20, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.17% |
| World Series Baseball 2K3 | Sega | March 10, 2003 | Xbox | 89/100 | 89.12% |
| F-Zero GX | Nintendo | July 25, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 89.03% |
| NBA Street Vol. 2 | EA Sports | April 29, 2003 | Xbox | 89/100 | 88.91% |
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! | Nintendo | March 21, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 89/100 | 88.83% |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ubisoft | November 10, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 88.59% |
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Ubisoft | March 28, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 88.07% |
| Top Spin | Microsoft Game Studios | October 28, 2003 | Xbox | 89/100 | 88.05% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | EA Sports | September 22, 2003 | Xbox | 89/100 | 87.23% |
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Ubisoft | April 10, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 86.82% |
| Tony Hawk's Underground | Activision | October 27, 2003 | GameCube | 89/100 | 86.18% |
| ESPN NBA Basketball | Sega | October 21, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 86.13% |
| Fire Emblem | Nintendo | April 25, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 88/100 | 88.83% |
| Beyond Good & Evil | Ubisoft | December 2, 2003 | Xbox | 87/100 | 88.61% |
| Burnout 2: Point of Impact | Acclaim Entertainment | May 1, 2003 | Xbox | 88/100 | 88.55% |
| Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne | Rockstar Games | October 14, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 86/100 | 88.52% |
| Beyond Good & Evil | Ubisoft | December 11, 2003 | GameCube | 87/100 | 88.14% |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 | Ubisoft | October 28, 2003 | Xbox | 86/100 | 88.06% |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | Activision | August 27, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 87.64% |
| ESPN NHL Hockey | Sega | September 9, 2003 | Xbox | 88/100 | 87.27% |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight | Microsoft | July 29, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 87.07% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 | EA Sports | September 22, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 86.77% |
| NASCAR Thunder 2004 | EA Sports | September 16, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 88/100 | 86.72% |
| Jak II | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 14, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 87/100 | 87.93% |
| Final Fantasy Tactics Advance | Square | February 14, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 87/100 | 87.64% |
Critically panned titles[]
| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform(s) | MC score | GR score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing | GameMill Publishing | November 20, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 8/100 | 3.83% |
| Navy SEALs: Weapons of Mass Destruction | ValuSoft | July 18, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 18/100 | 18.83% |
| Gods and Generals | Activision | March 1, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 19/100 | 25.5%[9] |
| Drake of the 99 Dragons | Majesco Entertainment | November 3, 2003 | Xbox | 22/100 | 20.48% |
| Charlie's Angels | Ubisoft | July 8, 2003 | GameCube | 23/100 | 23.74% |
| Pulse Racer | Jaleco | January 2, 2003 | Xbox | 24/100 | 27.75% |
| Batman: Dark Tomorrow | Kemco | March 18, 2003 | Xbox | 25/100 | 24.06% |
| Terminator 3: War of the Machines | Atari, Inc. | November, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 25/100 | 27.67% |
| Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis | TDK Mediactive | July 23, 2003 | GameCube | 27/100 | 25.1% |
| Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis | TDK Mediactive | July 30, 2003 | Xbox | 26/100 | 30.87% |
| ¡Mucha Lucha! Mascaritas of the Lost Code | Ubisoft | November 18, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 26/100 | 26.08% |
| Stake: Fortune Fighters | Metro3D, Inc. | May 5, 2003 | Xbox | 26/100 | 31% |
| Ultimate Demolition Derby | Global Star Software | September 16, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 27/100 | 32.33%[10] |
| Celebrity Deathmatch | Gotham Games | October 14, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 30/100 | 27.42% |
| Batman: Dark Tomorrow | Kemco | March 21, 2003 | GameCube | 29/100 | 27.83% |
| Mistmare | Strategy First | June 30, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 33/100 | 28.14% |
| Puzzle Bobble VS | Taito | October 6, 2003 | N-Gage | N/A | 28.73% |
| Interstellar Trader 2 | Shrapnel Games | March 21, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 31/100 | 29%[11] |
| RoboCop | Titus Interactive | July 24, 2003 | Xbox | 30/100 | 40.75%[12] |
| Airport Tycoon 2 | Global Star Software | February 26, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 32/100 | 31% |
| Ring II: Twilight of Gods | Global Star Software | September 16, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 31/100 | 35% |
| Celebrity Deathmatch | Gotham Games | October 14, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 32/100 | 36.76% |
| Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective | Atari, Inc. | December 9, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 33/100 | 39.67% |
| American Idol | Codemasters | November 7, 2003 | Microsoft Windows | 39/100 | 33.17% |
| Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | Atari, Inc. | November 11, 2003 | Xbox | 35/100 | 41.06% |
| Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror | Encore, Inc. | November 18, 2003 | PlayStation 2 | 35/100 | 42.71% |
| Celebrity Deathmatch | Gotham Games | October 14, 2003 | Xbox | 36/100 | 35.83% |
| MotoGP | THQ | November 14, 2003 | N-Gage | N/A | 35.85% |
| Ozzy & Drix | Midway Games | December 16, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 36/100 | 45.6% |
| Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu | Atari, Inc. | November 24, 2003 | Game Boy Advance | 40/100 | 37.4% |
References[]
- ↑ "Attendance and Stats". IGN. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "The NPD Group Reports Overall Decrease in PC Software Sales for 2003" (Press release). NEW YORK: The NPD Group. February 5, 2004. http://www.npdtechworld.com/techServlet?nextpage=pr_body_it.html&content_id=720.
- ↑ "Best Video Games for 2003". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2003 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Best Video Games for 2004". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Highest-Ranking Games of 2004 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Worst Video Games for 2003". Metacritic. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Lowest-Ranking Games of 2003 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Gods and Generals for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Ultimate Demolition Derby for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Interstellar Trader 2 for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "RoboCop for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}:
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