Games Released in November 1996

142 new games debuted in November 1996, with PlayStation being the most active platform. November 30 was the busiest day, with 34 releases. Command & Conquer: Red Alert was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

November 30 saw the most activity with 34 releases.

34 releases

November 30

32 releases

November 1

22 releases

November 22

20 releases

November 29

How did each week compare?

The fifth week of November was the busiest with 54 releases.

Week 1 (November 1–7)

49 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a top-down action-adventure video game with role-playing game elements. It is the first game in the Legacy of Kain series, and the only one developed by Silicon Knights and published by Crystal Dynamics. The game was first released in 1996 for the PlayStation, and later ported to Microsoft Windows. A Sega Saturn version was announced during production but later cancelled before release. It was followed by four sequels, which were all developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive.

Week 2 (November 8–14)

31 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Jet Moto

Gameplay in the Jet Moto series differs from traditional racing games, as players instead control hoverbikes which hover close above the ground and can be driven over both land and water. Most of the courses in the games are designed to take advantage of this ability. The game has a variant of the traditional road course but also introduces a new course type, known as a suicide course. Instead of being a continuous loop, these tracks have checkpoints at either end of the course, and the starting grid in the centre. Characters race to one end, then turn around to head for the other checkpoint, repeating the process until all laps are complete. This provides a new gameplay dynamic as often the player must navigate oncoming traffic. Characters are split into teams, and bikes are adorned with logos of products such as Mountain Dew and Butterfinger, similar to real-life sponsored racing.

Week 3 (November 15–21)

38 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Monkey Mayhem Lives On! Kiddy Kong is a portly primate toddler with incredible power and agility! He teams up with Dixie Kong to stop the ever-present army of Kremlings. The game play and ACM graphics just keep getting better in this visually stunning installment in one of the most popular video game series of all time! Combining their unique abilities as they throw each other into action, Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong set off to rescue Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong. Collect tons of treasure, grab billions of bananas and find more secret stuff than you've ever seen (or not seen) as you set off on the greatest DKC adventure yet! The final showdown with KAOS takes place in a cliff-top laboratory at the End of the World. It could get seriously ugly. Monkey mayhem lives on in this exotic island adventure!

Week 4 (November 22–28)

48 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Travel to an alternate universe where dark experiments have permanently altered time. Or have they? Soviet tanks crush city after city while Allied cruisers shell bases. Spies lurk, landmines await, and strange new technologies aid both sides in the struggle for ultimate control. In this parallel reality, the mighty Soviet Empire has begun to “liberate” all of Europe. Cities fall and countries collapse before the overwhelming might of the Red Storm. The Allies are scrambling to meet the onslaught, but they have been caught by surprise. Red Alert puts the fate of the world in your hands!

Week 5 (November 29–30)

54 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Toonstruck

Toonstruck is an adventure game released in 1996 in which, although all the imagery is drawn and scanned into the game, the protagonist Drew Blanc (played and voiced by Christopher Lloyd) is an actual video-captured representation of the actor (the name is a pun, since the character has "drawn a blank" on coming up with a new idea for a character). Drew's sidekick, crudely named Flux Wildly, is a drawn character voiced by Dan Castellaneta. Toonstruck also features scan-line compressed FMV and was also one of the first video games to include stock music from APM Music, notably the classic "Spooky Scherzo" by Sam Fonteyn and "Lonely Hearts Club A" by David Bell.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 70 new titles in November 1996. The runner up was PC with 51 new titles.

PlayStation70 releases

PC51 releases

Sega Saturn34 releases

DOS26 releases

Mac10 releases

Super Nintendo Entertainment System10 releases

Nintendo 645 releases

Sega Mega Drive/Genesis5 releases

Arcade4 releases

Sega Game Gear4 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in November 1996 with 43 titles. Shooter followed closely with 37.

Adventure43

Shooter37

Sport32

Arcade29

Simulator25

Fighting24

Platform23

Puzzle23

Strategy22

Point-and-click16

1996 Review

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