Games Released in December 1997

236 new games released in December 1997, with PlayStation being the most active platform. December 18 was the busiest day, with 35 new releases.

Top Platform

PlayStation

New Releases

236

Busiest Day

December 18

What was the most popular game of December 1997?

Quake II

Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.

Which days had the most releases?

December 18 saw the most activity with 35 releases.

35 releases

December 18

24 releases

December 31

22 releases

December 1

21 releases

December 11

How did each week compare?

The first week of December was the busiest with 68 releases.

Week 1 (December 1–7)

68 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

The Last Blade

The Last Blade is a fighting game developed and published by SNK and released in arcades in 1997. It is set in a fictional version of late 19th-century Japan and features a roster of sword-wielding characters. The game uses a weapon-based combat system with selectable fighting styles that emphasize speed or power. Its presentation draws heavily on historical themes and traditional Japanese aesthetics.

Week 2 (December 8–14)

47 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Yoshi's Story

Baby Bowser has taken the Super Happy Tree and cast a spell on Yoshi's world, turning it into the pages of a picture book. The only Yoshis not affected by the spell were six hatchlings that were still protected by their shells. It's up to them to reclaim the Super Happy Tree and restore happiness to the world. That is the only thing that can break Baby Bowser's Spell!

Week 4 (December 22–28)

32 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo is a racing game designed by Kazunori Yamauchi and is the first entry in the critically acclaimed simulator racing series bearing the same name. After five years of development time, it was well-received publicly and critically, shipping a total of 10.85 million copies worldwide as of March 2013, making it the best-selling PlayStation game. The game uses two different modes: Arcade Mode and Gran Turismo Mode. In the arcade mode, the player can freely choose the courses and vehicles they wish to use. Winning races unlocks additional cars and courses. However, Gran Turismo Mode requires the player to earn different levels of driver's licenses in order to qualify for events, and earn credits, trophies and prize cars by winning race championships. Gran Turismo features 140 cars and 11 race tracks (as well as their reversed versions).

Week 5 (December 29–31)

35 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Worms 2

Worms 2 is a turn-based strategy game, with each team moving in a randomly determined sequence across two-dimensional terrain. During a single turn, a team can only move one of its worms. Worms can crawl and jump, as well as swing by ninja-rope, parachute, teleport, and bungee when the appropriate items are available. The objective of a traditional match or campaign mission is to defeat all opposing teams by killing their worms. When hit with a weapon, the worm will lose health depending on the power of the weapon and the directness of the hit. A worm can be killed either by having its health reduced to zero or being knocked into the water around and below the level.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 78 new titles in December 1997. The runner up was PC (Microsoft Windows) with 51 new titles.

PlayStation78 releases

PC (Microsoft Windows)51 releases

Sega Saturn44 releases

Nintendo 6423 releases

Game Boy13 releases

Satellaview11 releases

Arcade9 releases

Mac8 releases

Super Famicom5 releases

DOS5 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in December 1997 with 52 titles. Shooter followed closely with 33.

Adventure52

Shooter33

Platform29

Sport28

Puzzle23

Simulator22

Role-playing21

Arcade21

Strategy18

Racing17

1997 Review

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