Games Released in May 1997

113 new games released in May 1997, with PlayStation being the most active platform. May 30 was the busiest day, with 18 new releases.

Top Platform

PlayStation

New Releases

113

Busiest Day

May 30

What was the most popular game of May 1997?

Blood

You carved your soul to shreds in servitude to a dark god, but false promises and betrayal were your only reward. Now you have a score to settle and it will be measured in blood! Experience the madness in one carnage-soaked package! All the gore, all the unholy war! Zombies, gargoyles, hellhounds and blood-crazed hordes of horrors await! Crush loathsome evil of the mighty Tchernobog! Or condemn yourself to eternal damnation in this leviathan of unhallowed gaming action! Visit a dark near-future world populated by hundreds of bloodthirsty enemies. You'll engage in a nightmarish battle against the minions of an ancient god bent on wiping humanity from the face of the earth. With cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an unholy host of other terrors, Blood immerses you in a world of horror unlike any you've experienced before.

Which days had the most releases?

May 30 saw the most activity with 18 releases.

18 releases

May 30

15 releases

May 1

11 releases

May 2

11 releases

May 23

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Thu, May 1

15 releases

Fri, May 2

11 releases

Sat, May 3

2 releases

Sun, May 4

6 releases

Mon, May 5

3 releases

Tue, May 6

No releases

Wed, May 7

3 releases

Thu, May 8

1 release

Fri, May 9

8 releases

Sat, May 10

2 releases

Sun, May 11

1 release

Mon, May 12

No releases

Tue, May 13

3 releases

Wed, May 14

1 release

Thu, May 15

2 releases

Fri, May 16

5 releases

Sat, May 17

No releases

Sun, May 18

2 releases

Mon, May 19

1 release

Tue, May 20

2 releases

Wed, May 21

4 releases

Thu, May 22

1 release

Fri, May 23

11 releases

Sat, May 24

No releases

Sun, May 25

4 releases

Mon, May 26

3 releases

Tue, May 27

No releases

Wed, May 28

No releases

Thu, May 29

No releases

Fri, May 30

18 releases

Sat, May 31

6 releases

How did each week compare?

The first week of May was the busiest with 40 releases.

Week 1 (May 1–7)

40 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Neo Bomberman

The gameplay consists of walking through maze-like areas filled with monsters with a goal of opening the gate leading to the next area. Playing as a bomberman, the player can lay bombs to destroy all of the monsters, which will subsequently open the gate. Destroying blocks in the maze may uncover useful items including remote control bombs, accelerators, hearts, and increased firing range. Neo Bomberman includes Bosses that appear after each zone. Each zone is harder than the last, some featuring new traps and level obstacles such as conveyor belts.

Week 2 (May 8–14)

16 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Shadow Warrior

Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and released on May 13, 1997 by GT Interactive. Shadow Warrior was developed using Ken Silverman's Build engine and improved on 3D Realms' previous Build engine game, Duke Nukem 3D. Mark Adams ported Shadow Warrior to Mac OS in August 1997. The game's improvements included introduction of true room-over-room situations, the use of 3D voxels instead of 2D sprites for weapons and usable inventory items, transparent water, climbable ladders, and assorted vehicles to drive (some armed with weapons). Although ultra-violent, the game emphasized tongue-in-cheek humor and contained some sexual themes (although less blatantly than in Duke Nukem 3D). A combination of Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior was published by GT Interactive in March 1998, titled East Meets West.

Week 3 (May 15–21)

16 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

The City of Lost Children

Kidnappings, robberies, dark characters, and stolen dreams are just part of the fantastic landscapes in The City of Lost Children. As a 10 year old orphan, you must rely on your street smarts to solve the mystery of why the City's children are vanishing one by one ... and where in this eerie labyrinth of back alleys and foreboding warehouses will the plot take another wickedly clever twist? Prepare yourself for a brilliant flight of the imagination and a breathtaking graphical experience. Because in the City of Lost Children, there are no dead ends. Only more adventures.

Week 4 (May 22–28)

19 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Norse by Norse West: The Return of the Lost Vikings

Lost Vikings 2 is a side-scrolling platform adventure in which the player alternates control of three of the five playable characters, guiding each of them one at a time from a designated start point in each level to the exit, collecting three specific items along the way. The game predetermines which characters are available in any specific level.[7] Control may be swapped from character to character at any point. In the two-player cooperative mode, each player simultaneously controls one character and is allowed to change control to the third, unused character at any point. Every level is designed such that each character must contribute his unique skills to help the other two through to the end. Similarly, to finish the level, all three characters must reach the exit point with the three items in possession.

Week 5 (May 29–31)

24 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Blood

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 43 new titles in May 1997. The runner up was PC (Microsoft Windows) with 28 new titles.

PlayStation43 releases

PC (Microsoft Windows)28 releases

Sega Saturn21 releases

Mac7 releases

DOS7 releases

Satellaview7 releases

Nintendo 644 releases

Arcade3 releases

Super Famicom3 releases

Game Boy2 releases

What genres were most popular?

Shooter was the dominant genre in May 1997 with 22 titles. Adventure followed closely with 19.

Shooter22

Adventure19

Sport16

Simulator15

Visual Novel12

Arcade11

Puzzle11

Fighting9

Role-playing9

Racing9

1997 Review

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