Games Released in December 2001

577 new games debuted in December 2001, with PC being the most active platform. December 20 was the busiest day, with 36 releases. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

December 20 saw the most activity with 36 releases.

36 releases

December 20

29 releases

December 14

26 releases

December 7

22 releases

December 1

How did each week compare?

The first week of December was the busiest with 93 releases.

Week 1 (December 1–7)

93 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a 2001 platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 2 on December 4, 2001, as the first game of the Jak and Daxter series. The game follows the protagonist, a young teenager named Jak, as he tries to help his friend Daxter after he is transformed into an "ottsel", a fictional hybrid of an otter and a weasel. The game offers a large range of missions, collectables and objectives, often in the form of minigames, which provide a variety of gameplay experiences, as well as puzzles and platforming stages, which are completed by the player to proceed with the story.

Week 2 (December 8–14)

62 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Fatal Frame

Fatal Frame is the first game of the Fatal Frame series, introducing the franchise's unique premise of fighting ghosts with a special camera. Fatal Frame was the first to introduce the innovative use of an old-style camera as the primary weapon. In addition to navigating the main characters around the mansion grounds, players are able to enter Viewfinder Mode, where the camera is raised and the view changes to that of the camera's frame. In viewfinder mode the player is able to snap photographs of ghosts, both violent and benign, which is the main method of progressing through the game. Items are also available, some being consumable and most being key items needed to unlock doors, complete tasks or solve puzzles. Puzzles are encountered frequently in the game, some being based on the same concept but becoming progressively more difficult. The varying difficulty settings of the game (Easy, Normal, Hard, Nightmare, or Fatal (Xbox only)) determine the amount of consumable items scattered throughout the mansion and how formidable the enemies are. The main horror aspect of the game is, undoubtedly, the ghosts. The mechanics programmed for the ghosts allow them to float ethereally through the air, walls and floors, and even teleport, allowing them many ways to attack the player. The ghosts' appearances are usually inspired by their deaths or by Japanese stigmas of horror, which, some argue, are particularily chilling. The game, depending on which console it is played on, offers two endings. Upon completion of the game, a ranking is given based on total time taken, points accumulated and other categories. The player is also given rewards and unlockables, such as alternate costumes and camera functions, depending on what difficulty was beaten, how much of the Ghost List was completed and other criteria. Beating the game also unlocks Battle Mode, where the player is faced with fighting specific ghosts, and is rewarded with points towards purchasing unlockables. An option is also given where the game can be replayed with all equipment, upgrades and unlockables carried over.

Week 3 (December 15–21)

74 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Ikaruga

In this vertical scrolling spaceship shooter, you control a ship that can change its polarity at will. As blue/white, the ship can easily destroy red/black enemies, and vice versa. Bullets of your polarity can be collected to fuel your energy gauge, but those opposite will kill you. Destroying an enemy ship causes them to fire revenge bullets which can be absorbed and fired back by the player. Different difficulties exist to change exactly how you interact with polarized points, or how they appear. It is the spiritual successor to Radiant Silvergun, featuring similar level and boss design, as well as it's buddhism inspired themes and aesthetics. Both are directed by Hiroshi Iuchi, who also composed Ikaruga's soundtrack.

Week 4 (December 22–28)

24 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

The game is based in the Ghosts'n Goblins universe and features original character designs by Japanese illustrator Susumu Matsushita. The character is controlled by the player and can move freely within areas by running, jumping, crouching, and performing other various motions. Gameplay revolves around defeating large numbers of enemies, which can be accomplished by attacking with a sword and shield and combos and special moves. Maximo fights wearing armor, if he is hit, he will lose corresponding pieces of armor and eventually be reduced to wearing his boxer shorts, with another hit resulting in him losing a life. If Maximo loses all his lives, he can continue by giving Death Coins to the Grim Reaper. However, every time he loses all his lives, the required cost for a continue increases.

Week 5 (December 29–31)

19 releases

Most popular release in Week 5

Bounce

Bounce is a game by Nokia that came pre-installed in many Nokia mobile phones running J2ME. It is one of the earlier famous Nokia mobile games, alongside Snake.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC received 62 new titles in December 2001. The runner up was Game Boy Advance with 46 new titles.

PC62 releases

Game Boy Advance46 releases

PlayStation 244 releases

PlayStation33 releases

Game Boy Color28 releases

Xbox9 releases

Mac8 releases

Nintendo GameCube8 releases

Arcade5 releases

Web browser5 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in December 2001 with 51 titles. Role-playing followed closely with 38.

Adventure51

Role-playing38

Sport31

Platform29

Simulator29

Strategy26

Racing23

Puzzle21

Shooter21

Arcade16

2001 Review

Nov Jan

January February March April May June July August September October November

December