Games Released in January 1996

133 new games released in January 1996, with PlayStation being the most active platform. January 1 was the busiest day, with 35 new releases.

Top Platform

PlayStation

New Releases

133

Busiest Day

January 1

What was the most popular game of January 1996?

Duke Nukem 3D

Aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles and it's up to the Duke to bring the pain and show them the door. After the initial entries of side-scrolling platform games, Duke Nukem 3D introduces a first-person perspective to the series and turns the game into a full-fledged shooter with 2.5D graphics. Duke's arsenal includes pistols, pipe bombs, laser trip mines, Nordenfelt guns, a chain gun and various rocket launchers, but also his mighty foot to kick enemies. The game sports a high level of interactivity. Many objects in the environment can be broken or interacted with, such as pool tables, arcade machines, glass, light switches and security cameras. The protagonist is also able to hand strippers a dollars to have them remove their top.

Which days had the most releases?

January 1 saw the most activity with 35 releases.

35 releases

January 1

31 releases

January 26

9 releases

January 19

7 releases

January 13

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Mon, Jan 1

35 releases

Tue, Jan 2

2 releases

Wed, Jan 3

1 release

Thu, Jan 4

No releases

Fri, Jan 5

3 releases

Sat, Jan 6

1 release

Sun, Jan 7

1 release

Mon, Jan 8

No releases

Tue, Jan 9

No releases

Wed, Jan 10

No releases

Thu, Jan 11

1 release

Fri, Jan 12

5 releases

Sat, Jan 13

7 releases

Sun, Jan 14

1 release

Mon, Jan 15

5 releases

Tue, Jan 16

No releases

Wed, Jan 17

No releases

Thu, Jan 18

No releases

Fri, Jan 19

9 releases

Sat, Jan 20

2 releases

Sun, Jan 21

1 release

Mon, Jan 22

6 releases

Tue, Jan 23

No releases

Wed, Jan 24

6 releases

Thu, Jan 25

5 releases

Fri, Jan 26

31 releases

Sat, Jan 27

2 releases

Sun, Jan 28

2 releases

Mon, Jan 29

4 releases

Tue, Jan 30

1 release

Wed, Jan 31

7 releases

How did each week compare?

The fourth week of January was the busiest with 52 releases.

Week 1 (January 1–7)

43 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Neo Turf Masters

Neo Turf Masters is a golf video game by Nazca for the Neo Geo, released in 1996. This is also one of the first two titles by Nazca, the other being the popular Metal Slug before & between being acquired by SNK. The game is a fast paced, arcade-style golf game. Players choose from two game modes, stroke play for one or two players, and match play for two players only. Competing on one of four fictional golf courses located in the United States, Japan, Australia and Germany, players choose from one of six players with different attributes: "Young Hero" (George Spinner, USA) "Technician" (Thomas Stewart, United Kingdom) "Veteran" (Frank Adams, Australia) "Shot Maker" (Robert Landolt, Germany) "Power Golfer" (Fernando Almeida, Brazil) "Putt Master" (Toyoshige Takeno, Japan) Unlike many golf games of the era which used a two-click swing system to determine the hook or slice of the ball, Neo Turf Masters uses a single click for the power of the shot, and a second for the height of the shot; hook and slice are selected with buttons B and C before making the shot. This makes the game much easier to pick up and play well than its contemporaries, but it compensates for this reduced difficulty with fiendish (if somewhat unrealistic) course layouts and highly variable wind.

Week 2 (January 8–14)

14 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Robo Pit

Robo Pit is an arena fighter, plain and simple. Well, maybe not so simple. When you start your game, you have to build your mechanical gladiator; choosing the color, body, eyes and legs. While most of your starting choices are purely cosmetic, the legs you choose do slightly affect your game by changing the speed and mobility of your fighter, as well as its special attack.

Week 3 (January 15–21)

17 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Creature Shock

The earth is overpopulated and mankind must find a second home. The spaceship Amazon is sent to investigate Saturn and Jupiter for possible colonization. Near the end of its mission, all contact is lost with the ship except for a distress beacon. The player is part of the crew sent to the Amazon's last known location to find out what happened. Creature Shock is a first-person shooter with Full Motion Video and arcade-like elements. Aliens of all sizes and types will try to destroy the team, but each one has a weak point that can be exploited. The fighting takes place on the surface of asteroids and within mazes of passageways underground. There are also two 3D sections where the player gets to pilot the ship.

Week 4 (January 22–28)

52 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Guardian Heroes

Guardian Heroes is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up video game with RPG elements developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn. A band of young adventurers begin a quest to change the fate of their kingdom after an enchanted sword falls into their hands. Players may choose between four characters, each with their own unique fighting style, and embark on many different paths in the game's story mode. The game also includes a special versus mode wherein up to six players can compete against each other in arena combat.

Week 5 (January 29–31)

12 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Duke Nukem 3D

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 21 new titles in January 1996. The runner up was PC (Microsoft Windows) with 19 new titles.

PlayStation21 releases

PC (Microsoft Windows)19 releases

Sega Saturn16 releases

Super Famicom14 releases

DOS12 releases

Satellaview12 releases

Mac6 releases

Arcade6 releases

3DO Interactive Multiplayer6 releases

Game Boy5 releases

What genres were most popular?

Sport was the dominant genre in January 1996 with 23 titles. Adventure followed closely with 23.

Sport23

Adventure23

Shooter21

Puzzle18

Platform14

Simulator12

Arcade12

Role-playing12

Strategy11

Fighting10

1996 Review

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