2004 in video games
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2004 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Doom 3, Dragon Quest VIII, Gran Turismo 4, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Ninja Gaiden, Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen/Emerald, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and World of Warcraft. New intellectual properties included Fable, Far Cry, FlatOut, Killzone, Katamari Damacy, Monster Hunter, N, Red Dead Revolver, SingStar, and Sacred. The Nintendo DS was also launched that year.
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.[1] The year's best-selling video game was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The year's most critically acclaimed titles were Dragon Quest VIII and Gran Turismo 4 in Japan, and Half-Life 2 and San Andreas in the West.
Events[]
- January 20 – Wired's Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.
- February 26 – Castle Wolfenstein creator Silas Warner dies at age 54.
- March 4 – Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
- March 22–26 – Game Developers Conference hosts 4th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and Gama Network's 6th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
- May 11 – Nintendo officially announces its "Revolution" (later named Wii) console.
- May 11–13 – The 10th annual E3 is held in Los Angeles, California, United States.[2]
- July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 5th annual Executive Summit.
- August 3 – Doom 3 is released, restarting the breakthrough franchise, and featured complex graphics features such as unified lighting and shadowing, real-time fully dynamic per-pixel lighting and stencil shadowing. The game became id's best selling game to date.
- October 12 – EA Sports launches the multi-format FIFA Football 2005. It is the last major title to be released for the original PlayStation console.
- November – Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 are officially released on PC around the world, bringing in a new era for the first-person shooter genre of video games, with advanced graphics & physics.
- November 5 – Nobuo Uematsu resigns from Square Enix and becomes a freelancer, starting his own business, called Smile Please Co., Ltd.
- November 17 – Atari, Inc. Releases the Atari Flashback.
- November 21 – Nintendo launches its Nintendo DS handheld in the United States with the enhanced remake Super Mario 64 DS.
- December 12 – Sony launches the PlayStation Portable in Japan, and was soon released in other markets in 2005.
Business[]
- January 12 – Ubisoft acquires Tiwak.
- February – Electronic Arts consolidates, rolls most of Maxis and all of Origin Systems into its Redwood Shores, California HQ.
- March – Microsoft announces XNA the successor of DirectX as the default API for "Longhorn", and Xenon.
- April 6 – Midway Games acquires Surreal Software.
- May – Sammy Corporation buys a controlling share in Sega Corporation at a cost of $1.1 billion creating the new company, Sega Sammy Holdings, one of the biggest video game companies in the world.
- July – Square Enix restructures executive branches around the world.
- September 1 – Acclaim declares bankruptcy and closes its doors.
- October 11 – Midway Games acquires Inevitable Entertainment and renames it Midway Studios Austin.
- November 30 – Midway Games acquires developer Paradox Development.
- December 13 – Electronic Arts purchases a 5-year exclusive agreement for the rights to the NFL, which includes NFL teams, stadiums and players for use in EA's football video games.
- December 20 – Electronic Arts purchases 20% stake in Ubisoft. The purchase at the time was considered "hostile", by Ubisoft.
Trends[]
In 2004, the total U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories was $9.9 billion compared with $10 billion in 2003. Total software sales rose 8 percent over the previous year to $6.2 billion. Additionally, sales of portable software titles exceeded $1 billion for the first time. Hardware sales were down 27 percent for the year due in part to shortages during the holiday season and price reductions from all systems.
Video game consoles[]
- Nintendo GameCube
- Xbox
- PlayStation 2
- Sony released an internal hard drive for the PlayStation 2 on March 23
- The third major hardware revision of the PlayStation 2 (model number SCPH-70000) was released in Japan on November 1
Handheld game systems[]
The dominant handheld systems in 2004 were:
- Game Boy Advance SP
- N-Gage
PlayStation Portable
Additionally, Nokia released an updated version of their original N-Gage, called the N-Gage QD. Nintendo released the Nintendo DS on November 21 in the United States. In Japan Sony released the PlayStation Portable on December 12.
Best-selling video games[]
| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan[3][4] | USA[5][6] | Europe | Worldwide | ||||
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 | Rockstar Games | N/A | 5,144,214 | 1,750,000+[7] | 6,894,214+ |
| 2 | Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen | GBA | The Pokémon Company | 2,392,005 | 2,367,431 | Unknown | 5,800,000[8] |
| 3 | FIFA Football 2005 | Multi-platform | EA Sports | 56,075 | 53,804+ | Unknown | 4,500,000[9] |
| 4 | Halo 2 | Xbox | Microsoft Game Studios | 42,310[4] | 4,288,397 | Unknown | 4,330,707+ |
| 5 | Madden NFL 2005 | PS2, Xbox | EA Sports | 3,705[10] | 4,274,243 | Unknown | 4,277,948+ |
| 6 | Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi | PS2 | Square Enix | 3,327,167 | N/A | N/A | 3,327,167 |
| 7 | ESPN NFL 2K5 | PS2 | Take-Two Interactive | N/A | 2,632,393 | N/A | 2,632,393 |
| 8 | Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (Winning Eleven 8) | PS2 | Konami | 1,120,272 | Unknown | 1,500,000+[11] | 2,620,272+ |
| 9 | Need For Speed: Underground 2 | PS2, Xbox | Electronic Arts | N/A | 2,453,829 | Unknown | 2,453,829+ |
| 10 | Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald | GBA | The Pokémon Company | 1,670,000 | Unknown | Unknown | 1,670,000+ |
Japan[]
| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi | PS2 | Square Enix | Role-playing | 3,327,167 |
| 2 | Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen | GBA | The Pokémon Company | Role-playing | 2,392,005 |
| 3 | Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald | GBA | The Pokémon Company | Role-playing | 1,670,000 |
| 4 | Dragon Quest V: Tenkū no Hanayome (The Heavenly Bride) | PS2 | Square Enix | Role-playing | 1,611,974 |
| 5 | Winning Eleven 8 (Pro Evolution Soccer 4) | PS2 | Konami | Sports | 1,120,272 |
| 6 | Sengoku Musou (Samurai Warriors) | PS2 | Koei | Hack and slash | 1,024,253 |
| 7 | Jissen Pachislot Shinshouhou! Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) | PS2 | Sammy Corporation | Pachislot | 916,765 |
| 8 | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | PS2 | Konami | Stealth | 694,307 |
| 9 | Gran Turismo 4 | PS2 | Sony | Racing simulation | 663,543 |
| 10 | Derby Stallion 04 | PS2 | Enterbrain | Simulation | 603,815 |
United States[]
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Sales[5][6] | Revenue | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 | Rockstar Games | 5,144,214 | $252,000,000 | $345,000,000 |
| 2 | Halo 2 | Xbox | Microsoft Game Studios | 4,288,397 | $223,000,000 | $306,000,000 |
| 3 | Madden NFL 2005 | PS2, Xbox, GC | EA Sports | 4,274,243 | $209,000,000 | $286,000,000 |
| 4 | ESPN NFL 2K5 | PS2, Xbox | Take-Two Interactive | 2,632,393 | $50,000,000 | $69,000,000 |
| 5 | Need For Speed: Underground 2 | PS2, Xbox, GC | Electronic Arts | 2,453,829 | $118,000,000 | $162,000,000 |
| 6 | Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen | GBA | Nintendo | 2,367,431 | $76,000,000 | $104,000,000 |
| 7 | NBA Live 2005 | PS2, Xbox | EA Sports | 1,723,190 | $57,000,000 | $78,000,000 |
| 8 | Spider-Man 2 | PS2, GC | Activision | 1,569,251 | $67,000,000 | $92,000,000 |
| 9 | ESPN NBA 2K5 | PS2, Xbox | Take-Two Interactive | 1,280,314 | Unknown | |
| 10 | Star Wars: Battlefront | PS2, Xbox | LucasArts | 1,224,927 | ||
PAL regions[]
| Rank | United Kingdom[14][7] | Australia[15] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Platform(s) | Sales | Title | Platform | |
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 | 1,750,000 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 |
| 2 | FIFA Football 2005 | Multi-platform | Unknown | Halo 2 | Xbox |
| 3 | Need For Speed: Underground 2 | Multi-platform | Unknown | Need For Speed: Underground 2 | PS2 |
| 4 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Multi-platform | Unknown | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | PS2 |
| 5 | Pro Evolution Soccer 4 | Multi-platform | Unknown | Need for Speed: Underground | PS2 |
| 6 | Sonic Heroes | Multi-platform | Unknown | Ratchet & Clank | PS2 |
| 7 | Spider-Man 2 | Multi-platform | Unknown | V8 Supercars 2 | PS2 |
| 8 | Need for Speed: Underground | Multi-platform | Unknown | SingStar | PS2 |
| 9 | Halo 2 | Xbox | Unknown | Grand Theft Auto: Twin Pack | Xbox |
| 10 | DRIV3R | Multi-platform | Unknown | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | PS2 |
Top game rentals in the United States[]
| Rank | Title | Publisher | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man 2 | Activision | PlayStation 2 |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Rockstar Games | |
| 3 | DRIV3R | Atari, Inc. | |
| 4 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 | ||
| 5 | Madden NFL 2005 | EA Sports | |
| 6 | NFL Street | ||
| 7 | Red Dead Revolver | Rockstar Games | |
| 8 | James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing | EA Games | |
| 9 | NCAA Football 2005 | EA Sports | |
| 10 | The Sims Bustin' Out | EA Games |
Critically acclaimed titles[]
Famitsu[]
In Japan, the following video game releases in 2004 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" and received Famitsu scores of at least 36 out of 40.[17]
| Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi | PlayStation 2 | Square Enix | Role-playing | 39 |
| Gran Turismo 4 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | Racing simulation | 39 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PlayStation 2 | Capcom | Action-adventure | 37 |
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | PlayStation 2 | Konami | Stealth | 37 |
| Kessen III | PlayStation 2 | Koei | Real-time tactics | 37 |
| Onimusha 3 (Onimusha 3: Demon Siege) | PlayStation 2 | Capcom | Hack and slash | 36 |
| Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | GameCube | Konami | Stealth | 36 |
| Hoshi no Kirby: Kagami no Daimeikyū (Kirby & the Amazing Mirror) | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | Metroidvania | 36 |
| Pikmin 2 | GameCube | Nintendo | Real-time strategy | 36 |
| Mawaru Made in Wario (WarioWare: Twisted!) | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | Party | 36 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Fushigi no Bōshi (The Minish Cap) | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 36 |
| Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | Game Boy Advance | Square Enix | Action role-playing | 36 |
| Sawaru Made in Wario (WarioWare: Touched!) | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | Party | 36 |
| FIFA Total Football 2 (FIFA Football 2005) | PlayStation 2 | Electronic Arts | Sports | 36 |
Metacritic and GameRankings[]
In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | MC score | GR score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-Life 2 | Valve | November 16, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 96/100 | 95.48% |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Rockstar Games | October 26, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 95/100 | 95.08% |
| Halo 2 | Microsoft Game Studios | November 9, 2004 | Xbox | 95/100 | 94.57% |
| Burnout 3: Takedown | Electronic Arts | September 8, 2004 | Xbox | 94/100 | 93.06% |
| Burnout 3: Takedown | Electronic Arts | September 8, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 93/100 | 93.32% |
| Unreal Tournament 2004 | Atari, Inc. | March 16, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 93/100 | 92.57% |
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow | Ubisoft | March 23, 2004 | Xbox | 93/100 | 92.37% |
| World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment | November 23, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 93/100 | 91.89% |
| Ninja Gaiden | Tecmo | March 2, 2004 | Xbox | 91/100 | 92.54% |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | Nintendo | November 15, 2004 | GameCube | 92/100 | 91.87% |
| Rome: Total War | Activision | September 22, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 92/100 | 91.75% |
| ESPN NFL 2K5 | Sega | July 20, 2004 | Xbox | 92/100 | 90.52% |
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Konami | November 17, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 91.77% |
| Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal | Sony Computer Entertainment | November 3, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 91.54% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 4 | Konami | August 5, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100[20] | 91.12%[21] |
| Madden NFL 2005 | EA Sports | August 9, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 90.33% |
| Madden NFL 2005 | EA Sports | August 9, 2004 | Xbox | 91/100 | 89.5% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 | EA Sports | September 20, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 88.24% |
| The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay – Developer's Cut | Vivendi Universal Games | December 3, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 90/100 | 90.95% |
| The Sims 2 | Electronic Arts | September 14, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 90/100 | 90.76% |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | Nintendo | November 4, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | 89/100[20] | 90.36%[21] |
| Metroid: Zero Mission | Nintendo | February 9, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | 89/100 | 90.19% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 4 | Konami | November 26, 2004 | Xbox | 90/100[20] | 90.11%[21] |
| Dragon Quest VIII | Square Enix | November 27, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100[20] | 90.05%[21] |
| Madden NFL 2005 | EA Sports | August 9, 2004 | GameCube | 90/100 | 90% |
| Pikmin 2 | Nintendo | April 29, 2004 | GameCube | 90/100 | 89.44% |
| MVP Baseball 2004 | EA Sports | March 9, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 88.89% |
| MVP Baseball 2004 | EA Sports | March 9, 2004 | Xbox | 90/100 | 88.73% |
| Viewtiful Joe | Capcom | August 24, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 87.95% |
| Lumines: Puzzle Fusion | Bandai | December 12, 2004 | PlayStation Portable | 89/100[20] | 89.93%[21] |
| Counter-Strike: Source | Valve | November 1, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 89.71% |
| EVE Online: Exodus | CCP Games | November 17, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | N/A | 89.62% |
| Gran Turismo 4 | Sony Computer Entertainment | December 28, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100[20] | 89.53%[21] |
| NCAA Football 2005 | EA Sports | July 15, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 88/100 | 89.45% |
| FirePower for Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 | Microsoft Game Studios | June 11, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 89.43% |
| Far Cry | Ubisoft | March 23, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.38% |
| Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor | DreamCatcher Interactive | October 5, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 81/100 | 89% |
| Football Manager 2005 | Sega | November 5, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 88.81% |
| The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Vivendi Universal Games | June 1, 2004 | Xbox | 89/100 | 88.61% |
| NCAA Football 2005 | EA Sports | July 15, 2004 | Xbox | 89/100 | 88.4% |
| MVP Baseball 2004 | EA Sports | March 9, 2004 | GameCube | 89/100 | 87.43% |
| Ridge Racer | Namco | December 12, 2004 | PlayStation Portable | 88/100[20] | 88.62%[21] |
| RalliSport Challenge 2 | Microsoft Game Studios | May 4, 2004 | Xbox | 87/100 | 88.54% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 4 | Konami | December 3, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100[20] | 88.5%[21] |
| Out of the Park Baseball 6 | Out of the Park Developments | June 14, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 87/100 | 88.4% |
| Sid Meier's Pirates! | Atari, Inc. | November 22, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 88.34% |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | Nintendo | July 22, 2004 | GameCube | 87/100 | 88.05% |
| NCAA Football 2005 | EA Sports | July 15, 2004 | GameCube | 88/100 | 88.01% |
| Sly 2: Band of Thieves | Sony Computer Entertainment | September 14, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 88/100 | 87.92% |
| Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots | Microsoft Game Studios | April 27, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 87.86% |
| WarioWare: Twisted! | Nintendo | October 14, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | 88/100[20] | 87.79%[21] |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 | EA Sports | September 20, 2004 | GameCube | 88/100 | 87.68% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 | EA Sports | September 20, 2004 | PlayStation 2 | 88/100 | 87.08% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 | EA Sports | September 20, 2004 | Xbox | 88/100 | 86.51% |
| ESPN NHL 2K5 | Sega | August 30, 2004 | Xbox | 88/100 | 86.22% |
| Wings of Power: WWII Heavy Bombers and Jets | Tri Synergy | September 13, 2004 | Microsoft Windows | 83/100 | 87.83% |
| NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup | EA Sports | September 4, 2004 | GameCube | N/A | 87.61% |
Notable releases[]
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| Release | Title | PC | 5th Gen | 6th Gen | Handheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 5 | Sonic Battle | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| January 13 | Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| January 14 | .hack//Quarantine Part 4 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| January 20 | Delta Force: Black Hawk Down – Team Sabre | Windows | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Maximo vs. Army of Zin | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| January 28 | Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Vietcong: Fist Alpha | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| January 29 | Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (Japan) | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| February 2 | R-Type Final | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| February 9 | Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| Metroid: Zero Mission | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| EverQuest: Gates of Discord | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| February 10 | Nightshade | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Unreal II: The Awakening | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| Wrath Unleashed | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| February 11 | Feeding Frenzy | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February
14 |
Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong, Excitebike, Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| February 17 | Jet Li: Rise to Honor | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 3 | Windows | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| February 24 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| February 26 | Kaido Battle 2: Chain Reaction | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| February 27 | Steel Battalion: Line of Contact | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| March 1 | N | Windows | N/A | N/A | NDS |
| March 2 | Drakengard | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Lifeline | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Ninja Gaiden | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| Scooby-Doo: Mystery Mayhem | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| MTX Mototrax | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| March 4 | Colin McRae Rally 04 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 8 | The Suffering | Windows | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| March 9 | Firefighter F.D.18 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| March 10 | Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| March 12 | Seven Samurai 20XX | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| March 14 | Battlefield Vietnam | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 15 | Wade Hixton's Counter Punch | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| March 16 | Unreal Tournament 2004 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 19 | Sacred[22] | Windows (EU) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 23 | Counter-Strike: Condition Zero | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Far Cry | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Final Fantasy XI | N/A | N/A | PS2 (US) | N/A | |
| Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| Sonic Heroes | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| All-Star Baseball 2005 | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| March 24 | Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A |
| March 25 | Sacred[22] | Windows (NA) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March 31 | Resident Evil Outbreak | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| April 1 | Destruction Derby Arenas | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| April 5 | Alias | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| Fight Night 2004 | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| April 8 | All-Star Baseball 2005 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| April 12 | Painkiller | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Serious Sam Advance | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| April 13 | TOCA Race Driver 2 | Windows | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| April 20 | Hitman: Contracts | Windows | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| Manhunt | Windows | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| April 27 | City of Heroes | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| April 28 | Beyond Divinity | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| April | .kkrieger | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| May 4 | La Pucelle: Tactics | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Red Dead Revolver | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Rallisport Challenge 2 | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| May 6 | Samurai Warriors | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| May 7 | Future Tactics: The Uprising | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| May 21 | Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| May 21 | Way of the Samurai 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| May 24 | Mario vs. Donkey Kong | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| May 25 | Metal Slug 3 | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Windows | N/A | PS2, Xbox, GCN | GBA | |
| Thief: Deadly Shadows | Windows | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| June 1 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| June 7 | Sonic Advance 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| June 8 | Ribbit King | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A |
| June 14 | Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| June 15 | Front Mission 4 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| June 21 | Driver 3 | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| June 22 | Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 23 | Mega Man Anniversary Collection | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox (2005) | GBA |
| June 27 | Mega Man Battle Network 4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| June 29 | CT Special Forces 2: Back in the Trenches | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Spider-Man 2 | Windows (US 06/28/04, EU 07/09/04) | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| July 2 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Joey the Passion | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| July 5 | Around the World in 80 Days | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| July 9 | Richard Burns Rally | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| July 13 | Tales of Symphonia | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| July 14 | Athens 2004 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| July 15 | Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| July 20 | Catwoman | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA |
| Puyo Pop Fever | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| Sudeki | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| July 21 | Crimson Tears | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| July 22 | Bujingai | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| July 29 | Mega Man X: Command Mission | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2 | N/A |
| August 1 | NFL GameDay 2005 | N/A | PS1 | N/A | N/A |
| August 3 | Doom 3 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| August 5 | Cartoon Network: Block Party | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| August 10 | Classic NES Series: Metroid, Zelda ii: The Adventure of Link | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| August 18 | Astro Boy: Omega Factor | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| August 24 | Starsky & Hutch | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| Viewtiful Joe | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| August 25 | Amazing Island | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| August 30 | Pikmin 2 | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| WWE Day of Reckoning | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| August 31 | Street Racing Syndicate | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| September 2 | Terminator 3: The Redemption | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| September 3 | Digimon Rumble Arena 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| September 6 | Digimon Rumble Arena 2 | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| September 7 | Burnout 3: Takedown | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| Silent Hill 4: The Room | Windows | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| September 8 | Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| The Fairly OddParents: Shadow Showdown | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2 | GBA | |
| September 9 | King of Colosseum II | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (North America) | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| September 12 | Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| September 13 | Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums | N/A | N/A | GCN, Xbox | N/A |
| Digimon Racing | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| EverQuest: Omens of War | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Attack of the Twonkies | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2 | GBA | |
| September 14 | Advance Guardian Heroes | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Power Rangers Dino Thunder | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| Gradius V | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Bad Boys: Miami Takedown | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Fable | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| Sly 2: Band of Thieves | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| The Sims 2 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| September 16 | Pokémon Emerald (Japan) | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| September 17 | Crisis Zone | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| September 20 | F-Zero: GP Legend | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Def Jam: Fight for NY | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| September 21 | Blood Will Tell | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Dance Dance Revolution Extreme | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia | Windows | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Second Sight | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Star Wars: Battlefront | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| September 22 | Disney's Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Katamari Damacy | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Rome: Total War | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| September 27 | Shadow Hearts: Covenant | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Shark Tale | Win | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| September 28 | Armored Core: Nexus | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Myst IV: Revelation | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Crash Twinsanity | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| October 1 | Kult: Heretic Kingdoms | Win, Mac | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Scaler | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| October 4 | Mortal Kombat: Deception | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Tony Hawk's Underground 2 | Win | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| October 5 | Tribes: Vengeance | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Conflict: Vietnam | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude | Win | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Mega Man Zero 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Syberia II | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| TOCA Race Driver 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| October 11 | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| October 12 | BloodRayne 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Lilo & Stitch 2: Hämsterviel Havoc | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| FIFA Football 2005 | Windows | PS1 | GCN, PS2 | GBA, PSP | |
| Under the Skin | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| October 18 | Kirby & the Amazing Mirror | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| October 19 | Neo Contra | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| All Grown Up!: Express Yourself | N/A | N/A | PS2, GCN | GBA | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| October 20 | Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Tron 2.0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| October 22 | Sacred Plus[22] (EU) | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| October 25 | Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| OutRun 2 | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| October 26 | Dead or Alive Ultimate | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| Grand Theft Auto Advance | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| October 27 | The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| October 29 | The Incredibles | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 1 | Counter-Strike: Source | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| November 2 | Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation S.O.D.A. | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Godzilla: Save the Earth | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Killzone | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| November 3 | Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Spyro: A Hero's Tail | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| The Incredibles: When Danger Calls | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| November 4 | Godzilla: Save the Earth | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| November 5 | Bejeweled 2 | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| FlatOut (Europe) | Win | Xbox | N/A | N/A | |
| November 8 | EverQuest II | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Mario Power Tennis (North America) | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| November 9 | EyeToy: AntiGrav | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Halo 2 | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| Jak 3 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Shaman King: Master of Spirits | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Shaman King: Power of Spirit | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| November 10 | Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | GBA |
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA | |
| November 15 | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| MTX Mototrax | Win | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Need for Speed: Underground 2 | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | GBA, NDS | |
| November 16 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Feel the Magic: XY/XX | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS | |
| Fight Club | N/A | N/A | PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| Half-Life 2 | Windows | N/A | Xbox (2005) | N/A | |
| Joint Operations: Escalation | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| November 17 | Asphalt Urban GT | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS |
| Castle Shikigami 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A | |
| King Arthur | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Pac-Man World | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| November 18 | Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A | |
| Yu Yu Hakusho: Tournament Tactics | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| November 19 | Mario vs. Donkey Kong | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| November 21 | Super Mario 64 DS | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS |
| Spider-Man 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS | |
| Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS | |
| November 22 | GoldenEye: Rogue Agent | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | NDS |
| JFK Reloaded | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| November 23 | Alien Hominid | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| World of Warcraft | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| November 29 | Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| November 30 | Mr. Driller Drill Spirits | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS |
| Armies of Exigo | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| December 1 | Painkiller: Battle out of Hell | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Scrapland | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Top Gun: Combat Zones | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| December 2 | Metal Slug Advance | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA |
| Prince of Persia: Warrior Within | Windows | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A | |
| December 5 | Mario Party 6 | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| December 6 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords | Windows | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| December 7 | Growlanser Generations | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
| Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Kuon | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| It's Mr. Pants | N/A | N/A | N/A | GBA | |
| Mega Man X8 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| Ridge Racer DS | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS | |
| December 8 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sprung | N/A | N/A | N/A | NDS | |
| Viewtiful Joe 2 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A | |
| December 14 | Gungriffon Allied Strike | N/A | N/A | Xbox | N/A |
| December 15 | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 | N/A | N/A | GCN | N/A |
| December 20 | Cave Story | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| December 22 | NFL Street 2 | N/A | N/A | GCN, PS2, Xbox | N/A |
| December 24 | Garry's Mod | Windows | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| December 28 | Gran Turismo 4 | N/A | N/A | PS2 | N/A |
References[]
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin. "Why 2004 Was the Best Year in Gaming". Gamespot. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Attendance and Stats". IGN. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ a b "2004 Top 100 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The Magic Box. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c "2004年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP500" [2004 Game Software Annual Sales Top 500]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2005 ファミ通ゲーム白書2005 [Famitsu Game Whitebook 2005] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2005. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
- ^ a b "アメリカ (2004)" [America (2004)]. ゲームハードの売り上げ (Game Hardware Sales) (in Japanese). The NPD Group. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Best 100 Selling Games in 2004". The Magic Box. The NPD Group. January 13, 2005. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Fahey, Rob (January 10, 2005). "San Andreas dominates 2004 as UK market grows 6.6 per cent". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Consolidated Financial Statements" (PDF). Nintendo. January 26, 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ B2B Staff (January 27, 2005). "EA: risultati finanziari del terzo trimestre fiscale". Multiplayer.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
- ^ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Konami ships 1.4 million PS2 copies of Pro Evolution Soccer 4". GameSpot. August 16, 2006.
- ^ "The NPD Group Reports Annual 2004 U.S. Video Game Industry Retail Sales". NPD Group. January 18, 2005. Archived from the original on November 25, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
- ^ Ghibi, Vittorio; Panzieri, Fabio; Rocetti, Marco (April 19, 2016). "Middleware for Mobile Entertainment Computing". In Bellavista, Paolo; Corradi, Antonio (eds.). The Handbook of Mobile Middleware. CRC Press. pp. 1189–1226 (1200). ISBN 978-1-4200-1315-3. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Hebblethwaite, Luke (April 9, 2020). "UK Top Selling Games 2004". Ukie. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Top 20 Console Games Ranked by Units Sold, 1998–2013". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Marketplace: A Look At The 2004 Video Chart Picture". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 8, 2005. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧" [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review Platinum Hall of Fame Software List]. Geimin (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Best Video Games for 2004". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2004 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Best Video Games for 2005". Metacritic. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Highest-Ranking Games of 2005 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Sacred Release Information for PC - GameFAQs".
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Categories:
- 2004 in video gaming
- Video games by year