Games Released in December 1998

712 new games debuted in December 1998, with PlayStation being the most active platform. December 23 was the busiest day, with 27 releases.

Top Platform

PlayStation

New Releases

712

Busiest Day

December 23

What was the most popular game of December 1998?

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is an updated re-release of Link's Awakening with several new additions, the most notable of which being the entire game is now in color.

Which days had the most releases?

December 23 saw the most activity with 27 releases.

27 releases

December 23

20 releases

December 17

18 releases

December 31

18 releases

December 4

How did each week compare?

The first week of December was the busiest with 62 releases.

Week 1 (December 1–7)

62 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 is the fourth game in the Ridge Racer series. It includes eight tracks (with reverse variants, for a total of 16 layouts) and 321 vehicles, all of which are fictional. This iteration was one of the first PlayStation titles to feature Gouraud shading on polygons, giving the game a visual depth that was previously missing. It was also the first Ridge Racer game on the system to feature two-player split-screen mode and offered two different driving models.

Week 2 (December 8–14)

32 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series, as well as other licensed D&D campaign worlds such as Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on players controlling a protagonist of their own creation who finds themselves travelling across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions, to unravel the mystery surrounding a sudden iron crisis affecting the region and attempting to discover the culprits behind it, all while uncovering dark secrets about their origins and dealing with attempts on their life.

Week 4 (December 22–28)

35 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure is a 3D platformer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The player can control six characters from the Sonic universe, each with their own gameplay and point of view of the story. The game is divided up into two types of levels: Action Stages and Adventure Fields. The division of Action Stages and Adventure Fields are a serious departure from all previous Sonic games. Adventure Fields are non-linear game stages that contain very few items, generally designed for puzzle solving, exploration and plot advancement. Action Stages are more speed based and have Rings scattered in them. Sonic Adventure was the top-selling Dreamcast game and received a sequel in 2001, marking the 10th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Week 5 (December 29–31)

28 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Liero

Liero is a simple game. Pick your five weapons, and unleash your inner fury. The game is always played one versus one on a map of your choice, and yes, you have to play with someone who is right next to you. To shoot is of course easy enough to figure out, but if you want to step up your game, you need to figure out things like how to swing yourself to safety with the ninja rope, to use timed weapons for area denial, to hunt without being hunted, to ambush, hit and run, and control that darn guided missile.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 72 new titles in December 1998. The runner up was PC with 53 new titles.

PlayStation72 releases

PC53 releases

Nintendo 6426 releases

Game Boy Color19 releases

Arcade8 releases

Mac6 releases

Sega Saturn6 releases

Game Boy3 releases

Dreamcast2 releases

PC-9800 Series2 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in December 1998 with 48 titles. Simulator followed closely with 32.

Adventure48

Simulator32

Role-playing27

Strategy27

Sport23

Puzzle20

Arcade17

Platform17

Fighting16

Shooter15

1998 Review

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